Introduction

Identities are fluid. Each individual will have multiple identities, and these may change over time depending on context. The relevance of one identity over another is also subject to change. There has been considerable interest for many years in Scottish national identity, especially its political dimension. However, just as national identity is only one identity, politics is only one dimension to this identity. Less well explored is its relationship to the economy. Students of politics have explored the role of elites in identity formation, articulation and mobilisation. This chapter is concerned with the formation, articulation and potential mobilisation of national identity, especially Scottish identity, with reference to the economy. In particular, it explores national identity alongside class (which in its subjective form is effectively an identity) against attitudes towards work, employment and enterprise.

The Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise have attempted to harness national identity in pursuit of a ‘smart, successful Scotland’, a Scotland that is more enterprising in which greater emphasis is placed on creating wealth than questions of spending or distribution. With limited powers in the field of economic policy making, symbolic politics has taken a central place in devolved economic policy making. That is not to demean the efforts of this approach. First, policy makers are constrained by the tools available to them and, second, symbolic politics cannot be lightly dismissed. The long-term effects of symbolic policy making can be considerable. After considering the nature of national identity in Scotland, we will explore some of the ways in which the Executive has been attempting to give a symbolic push towards the promotion of an ‘enterprise culture’ among Scots. The final section of the chapter utilises the wealth of data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) to statistically examine this relationship between national identity, class, employment and enterprise.

National identity in Scotland

As individuals, we are defined by an array of distinctive identities that say something about us and about the groups to whom we feel we belong. These identities may reflect characteristics such as age, ethnicity, class and community. Like other identities, national identity contributes to defining who we are and helps to situate us in the context of our relations with those around us.