23.01.2007
Two debates will take place at the Parliament ahead of the Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Europe. The debates, organised by the Scottish Parliament in liaison with the University of Edinburgh’s Public Policy Network, take place in the Scottish Parliament on Monday 29 January from 10am to 1.30pm.
Using new technologies to overcome the greatest challenges yet to face democracy and ensuring the workforce is fit for the 21st century are just two of the issues that will be discussed by leading academics, policy makers and representatives of civil society.
The prelude debate on employability, chaired by Donald McInnes, Chief Executive of Scotland Europa, will feature contributions from Ivan Turok, Professor of Urban Economic Development at the University of Glasgow , David Raffe, Professor of Sociology of Education, University of Edinburgh , and Amanda Harvie, Chief Executive, Scottish Financial Enterprise.
The prelude debate on how democracies engage with citizens, chaired by Professor Charlie Jeffery, University of Edinburgh, features contributions from the Presiding Officer, George Reid MSP, Navraj Singh-Ghaleigh, Lecturer in Public Law, University of Edinburgh, and Peter Kellner , Chairman of YouGov.com.
Each prelude debate will be attended by around 40 key academic and public policy figures from across Scotland.
Background
The Microsoft Government Leaders Forum is one of Microsoft’s flagship events for government, parliamentarians, education and business leaders across the continent, and is being supported by a partnership of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive. This is the first time such a prestigious event has come to the United Kingdom, and particularly, the live context of a working legislature such as the Scottish Parliament.