Abstract

This dissertation introduces and applies the custom-designed PRESS (Populations, Resources, Ecosystems, Socio-economy, Structures) framework to evaluate Scotland’s Development-Security profile in comparison to Norway and China, assessing how constitutional independence reshapes this dynamic. While Scotland generates a substantial renewable energy surplus, its lack of constitutional sovereignty over energy exports, grid stability, and supply chains has historically created deep systemic vulnerabilities. Grounded in Anthony Giddens’ Structuration Theory and Mark Duffield’s development-security nexus, this research explicitly bridges the academic divide between state-centric Realism and Critical Human and Security Studies (CHSS).

Using a mixed-methods comparative approach across energy resources, critical national infrastructure (CNI), and food security, the empirical findings reveal that pre-independence Scotland occupied a vulnerable hybrid position: sharing Norway’s immense resource wealth but mirroring China’s supply chain dependencies. The study demonstrates that constitutional independence successfully uncoupled Scotland from UK structural constraints, granting the state full agency over its resource wealth. However, the post-independence transition highlights that sovereign agency is entirely contingent upon institutional capacity. By establishing a dedicated sovereign wealth fund, securing European Union integration, and consolidating national CNI governance, Scotland successfully shifted toward the Norwegian model of sustainable development-security, proving that institutional engineering, rather than the mere acquisition of statehood, determines small-state resilience.

Key Contributions

• Operationalized the multidimensional PRESS framework, providing a repeatable methodology for analyzing the development-security nexus in sub-state and small-state entities.
• Maintained a comprehensive comparative dataset across three distinct governance models (sub-state hybrid, sovereign democratic, and top-down state-led).
• Demonstrated empirically that small-state sovereignty requires proactive, long-term institutional infrastructure to successfully translate resource wealth into systemic security.