First blog post for fall term International Political Economy what what. One issue in today's political climate where international actors in both the political and business world are interacting is the upcoming referendum on September 18th for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. In recent days, the debate has centered on what large foreign companies based in the UK, such as RBS, BP and Lloyds, will do if the Scots vote to separate. These companies will choose to stay in the UK, instead of an independent Scotland, due to their uncertainty about new Scottish laws, taxes, regulations, etc. The Scottish National Party (the driving force behind the referendum) has not endeared themselves to business leaders with veiled threats of nationalization in recent days, and if the Scots end up voting for independence, the new nation may need to be prepared for a severe economic downturn.