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Regionalism has come back to prominence, as the political, economic, cultural, and social meaning of space is changing in contemporary Europe. In some ways, politics, economics, and public policies are deterritorializing; but at the same time and in other ways, there is a reterritorialization of economic, political, and governmental activity. The ‘new regionalism’ is the product of this decomposition and recomposition of the territorial framework of public life, consequent on changes in the state, the market, and the international context. Functional needs, institutional restructuring, and political mobilization all play a role. Regionalism must now be placed in the context of the international market and the European Union, as well as the nation-state.

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The reconfiguration of political space is bringing about new forms of territorial politics. The meanings of nationalism and the state are being transformed and new types of autonomist movement are emerging. These are often seen as a resurgence of ethnicity, or as attempts to recreate mini nation-states fragmented from the existing ones. Mainstream political science tends to regard them negatively. It is argued that the resurgence of minority nationalism is also a response to the needs for collective action in a world of weakened nation-states. New forms of collective identity and action are emerging which recognise the limitations of traditional sovereignty and the necessary interdependence of the contemporary world. There is much that is new here, but also much that has always been present but has been lost in the state-centred perspective of political science. The argument is illustrated by an examination of three of the most electorally successful nationalist movements in the Western world, in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland. These are seen not as classic nationalist movements but as nation-building projects which recognise the limitations of the nation-state formula and are engaged in 'stateless nation-building'. This project is difficult to translate into constitutional terms or to reconcile with the model of the state prevailing in the respective majority communities. The nation-state debateSince the 1980s, there has been a vigorous debate on the future of the nation-state. On the one hand are those who argue that economic change, technology and the rise of international regimes are rendering the nationstate redundant. On the other are those who point to the explosion of nationalist movements in the contemporary world and the proliferation of new 'nation-states'. The problem, as so often in social science, is that terms are being used very loosely and stretched too far. Scholars are too often

Devolution in the UK forms part of a wider process of spatial rescaling across Europe. Little work has been done on its effect on interest articulation. The literature on policy communities treats them as sectoral in scope. We propose the concept of 'territorial policy communities' to designate territorially bounded constellations of actors within and across policy sectors, emerging in response to the rescaling of government. Devolution may leave existing systems of interest articulation unchanged, leaving 'regions without regionalism'; it may confine some groups within territorial boundaries while allowing others the freedom to choose' between levels of government; or it might promote a general territorialization of interest representation and the emergence of territorial policy communities. The UK's four models of devolution help test the effects of stronger and weaker forms of devolution on the territorialization of groups.

Keating M. (2005) Policy convergence and divergence in Scotland under devolution, Regional Studies 39 , 453—463. The scope for divergence of public policy between Scotland and the rest of the UK is constrained by institutional, political and contextual factors. The policy capacity of the Scottish Executive is limited but increasing. Distinct Scottish policy communities are emerging, but there is variation by sector. There are important divergences in the organization and delivery of public services. Scotland is more committed than England to the traditional public sector model, emphasizing egalitarianism and cooperation with the public service professionals. This contrasts with the English emphasis on consumer choice and competition.Scotland, Policy-making, Devolution, Ecosse, Decisions, Decentralisation, Schottland, Parteiideologie, Dezentralisierung, Escocia, Desarrollo de politicas, Descentralizacion, JEL classification: R5,

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