Clerk to the Finance Committee, Scottish Parliament

Policy Fellow Alum, Centre for Science and Policy

Jim Johnston has been working with the Scottish Parliament since March 1999, and is currently Clerk to the Finance Committee. He has also been clerk to a number of other committees including on secondment to the House of Lords EU Select Committee in 2008-9. His current role includes managing the Finance Committee’s scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s annual draft budget, the implementation of the financial powers arising from the Scotland Act 2012 and any future fiscal devolution.

Jim also has a wider interest in British politics and the role and effectiveness of parliaments, and is a member of the Study of Parliament Group. Jim has established close links with a number of senior academics in Scotland and set up the Study of Scottish Parliament Group to facilitate an informal exchange of ideas between political scientists and parliament officials. He has also recently published an article with Professor Paul Cairney on the role of parliaments in the Scottish Parliamentary Review.

He holds a BA (Hons) in English and Politics from the University of Strathclyde and PhD in Political Science from the University of Birmingham. His research focused on the economic policies of post-war Labour governments. His publications include a co-authored book on post-war British politics.