Knowledge Exchange Across Borders

Prior to moving to Scotland, I was an international student from India at the University of Nottingham and the London School of Economics. Looking back, I feel that the move to Edinburgh, though challenging at the time, has proved to be perhaps one of the best decisions of my life. The people are friendly and welcoming, the culture open and inclusive and the city vibrant and rejuvenating. In short, it feels like home and as a foreigner, there is nothing more that I could ask for.

The best small country in the world

This 'best small country in the world', has not only provided me with good social networks, but also a rewarding career. I work as a Research Officer in the Rural Affairs Team. Whilst my initial impression was that I would be involved in research on agriculture, livestock and the like, none of which were of particular interest to me given my background in social policy, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that much of my team's work related to improving the welfare of people in rural Scotland. I have been in the post for a year, and time and again, I find myself comparing and contrasting the life in rural Scotland with rural India, where I was born and brought up.

Surprisingly, the contrasts have not been as stark as I had anticipated. The issues that rural communities encounter are rather similar to those of rural India. I commend the Scottish government's commitment to addressing them. Given the similarity of the issues faced by the rural communities across the globe, I feel there are models of best practice that can be adapted and adopted, by all.

Listening to people

I am impressed to see the commitment of Scottish Executive to ensuring that public policy is evidence informed. To this end, the research teams across the Executive work very closely with policy makers, to ensure that voices and experiences of the people are given due consideration in all policies affecting them. As a Research Officer, I play a dual role – in commissioning rural social research and in mainstreaming rural issues across the social research commissioned by other Departments. Thus, there is a clear commitment towards ensuring that the rural population is not marginalised and that their needs are taken into account.

I am also impressed to see the methods that are being adopted to listen to the voices of the people. There is a clear drive towards the increased used of 'participatory' methods in research and consultations. Interestingly, these methods were first developed in India and then exported to rest of the world. Over the last year, I have been in the position to understand how the Scottish Executive works, and watch it from close quarters. I am amazed to see the commitment towards involving the public in decisions that affect them. I believe, many countries can learn by looking to nations like Scotland for examples of good governance. Being born and brought up in India, and having experienced another culture, it is only natural to look back and compare. The last year has reinforced in me the values of participation and transparency, which all go a long way in ensuring happiness, well being, and the feeling of self-worth in the citizens.

A social agenda

Economists have predicted that if India continues to grow at the rate it is doing now, it is likely to take over China as the next super-power by 2012. Given my background in economics and social policy, I am in the advantageous position of looking at this from both sides of the fence. I rejoice at India's development as an economist. However, my wish is for the globalisation agenda to be expanded from merely economic to social one, and for all countries to not only embrace open trade but also an open exchange of information and best practices.

Feature written by Gita Anand

Gita Anand is a research officer within the Rural Research team at the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. Prior to working in the Executive, Gita worked as a research associate at the University of Nottingham, while also doing her PhD on child labour and educational policies in India. Gita holds an MA in Economics from India, an MSc in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from LSE, London. She is interested in policy relevant research and international development issue, particularly related to child rights.