1.6 Scope and Limitation of the Study
1.6.2 Limitations
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1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study
1.6.1 Scope
In this study, the intention is to only research the globalization-separatism debate with Scotland being placed at the centre of the discussion to analyse whether a separatist movement which supports globalization and independence at the same time could become independent.
This thesis will remain un-biased throughout the entire study and does not intend to take any sides on whether voting for independence will be either beneficial or detrimental to both the nation and international society as a whole. The effects from the conclusions of the votes will not be discussed in this thesis and future predictions as to whether future referendums will be held by Scotland will not be iterated either. The aim of this thesis is to purely focus only on the past and present of the events that have occurred in Scotland and not to provide any future estimates or calculations.
1.6.2 Limitations
Limitations of a study are the characteristics and methodology that impact and influence the interpretation of findings from the research conducted in this thesis. They place constraints in the generalization process, applications to practice, and/or utility of findings that will bind on the method that the researcher has initially chosen to design the study or approaches used to establish internal and external validity.
The methodological limitations that this thesis expects to encounter while writing this thesis come in the forms of minimal prior research studies on this topic. Other limitations that this study may encounter will be language barriers; and cultural bias. Minimal prior research studies on this topic will be a difficulty when writing this thesis since the referendum that this thesis intends to discuss occurred in the year of 2014 thus, it is still relatively new. Research
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studies on Scotland have been increasing since recent events however, again, accessibility will not be as easy as newer books are always harder to gain.
Lastly, there is the possibility of cultural and other types of bias as a limitation. Bias can be negative or positive thus, when proof-reading this paper, this thesis will have to take extra precautions to ensure that this thesis has ordered events, people, and places accurately and eliminated all words which can have a positive or negative connotation. This thesis guarantees that no bias shall come to pass in this study.
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In Chapter 1, this thesis discussed the implications of the terms encompassed under the concept of separatism and in this Chapter, we are going to go a step further and deliberate the causes of separatism and secession. Currently, there is not yet one comprehensive theory which deciphers all the sources of separatism; however literature does suggest that some countries, more than others, are more susceptible to having separatist movements.62 There are two main ideas, derived from the definitions of separatism, which scholars have demonstrated in order to identify when a country is more likely to hold a separatist movement, the first being that there has to be one, non-dominant group with a separate cultural identity;63 and the second being, these groups must find a possibility to form into an active organization and overcome the metropolitan state.64
The two ideas described above can be considered prerequisites of a separatist movement, considering there are an array of other factors which illustrate that there is more to the story of separatist movements than meets the eye. Other issues which tend to mobilize separatist movements are the arguments for “greater autonomy, such as civil rights, participation in government, better working conditions, use of language and freedom of religion.”65 These contentions, which separatist movements have, demonstrate that there are more factors which cause separatist movements to mobilize. Further factors, in detail, which might facilitate the rise of separatism are “territorial concentration of a minority group’s population;”66 “historical or current loss of autonomy;”67 and “inter-group economic inequality.”68 These more detailed
62 Cameron, D. R., Ranis, G., and Zinn, A. (2006), Globalization and Self-Determination: Is the Nation-State Under Siege? Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy, Abingdon: Taylor & Francis, p. 237
63 Bartkus, V. O. (1999), The Dynamic of Secession, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
64 Sambanis, N., and Zinn, A. (2006), “From Protest to Violence: An Analysis of Conflict Escalation with an Application to Self-Determination Movements,” Manuscript, New Haven: Yale University Press
65 Cameron, D. R., Ranis, G., and Zinn, A. (2006), Globalization and Self-Determination: Is the Nation-State Under Siege? Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy, Abingdon: Taylor & Francis, p. 237
66 Toft, M. D. (2003), The Geography of Ethnic Violence: Identity, Interests, and the Indivisibility of Territory, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press
67 Cameron, D. R., Ranis, G., and Zinn, A. (2006), Globalization and Self-Determination: Is the Nation-State Under Siege? Routledge Studies in the Modern World Economy, Abingdon: Taylor & Francis, p. 237
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factors are the ones which this thesis will be focusing on in this chapter. This thesis finds that it is because of ethnicity and economic inequality that groups ask for greater autonomy and in turn, develop into the separatist movements that are known today. There is much debate between scholars as to whether these two factors actually generate separatist ideas in countries. Opinions are very much divided, therefore these arguments and theories will be explored before analysis will be conducted in Chapter 4.
Some scholars view economic inequality and ethnicity to be factors that are a given when conducting research on separatism while others have a different interpretation and place great importance on economic inequality and ethnicity as factors which drive separatist movements to appear. After extensive research, this thesis is going to argue that economic issues and ethnicity are all factors which affect the separatist movement in Scotland, and these factors play a huge role in the globalization-separatism debate in the context of Scotland; this will be explored in Chapter 4 of this thesis.