Exploring interactive governance: How third sector and civil society organisations engage in the development of Scottish social security policies

The devolution of additional welfare powers to the Scottish Parliament since 2016 has led to the creation of so-called “Scottish social security” or “Scottish benefits” within the UK welfare state comprised of some previously UK wide benefits that are now devolved to the Scottish Government to design and implement in Scotland, and some newly created ‘Scottish only’ benefits. Scholars have described the development of a Scottish social security agenda as offering a new ‘welfare imaginary’ (Wiggan, 2017) using a discourse of fairness, dignity and respect. In this article we examine who has shaped Scottish social security policy ideas and how such terms are mobilised in practice. This article achieves these aims in two ways. First, by focussing on collaborative and participatory governance, and the concept of ‘interactive governance’. Second, by exploring how this governance context creates influential opportunities for third sector and civil society organisations to act as key stakeholders in policymaking spaces, and once there call for new forms of policymaking. We explore how interactive governance incorporates participatory and collaborative instruments, and has the potential to foster working relationships that could co-produce policies, contribute to social justice aims, and develop participatory expertise. However, while we highlight the importance of third sector and civil society involvement in Scottish social security policymaking, we also note challenges and tensions. This includes a contradiction in interactive governance (at least in terms of perceived democratic empowerment) as we find the experiential knowledge of stakeholders can be at once revered and ignored.