July 31, 2019
Reasonable progress
In 2012, Carnegie UK Trust commissioned some work to consider the changing relationship between society and the state. The author of the report – The Enabling State - was Sir John Elvidge, a man well qualified for the job having previously led Scotland’s civil service as Permanent Secretary. The report identified the need for great change on all sides of the relationship. 7 years on, Carnegie have checked what progress has been made in each of four home nations. In comparison with the others, Scotland seems to have fared reasonably well.
An Enabling State is one that seeks to address stubborn inequalities of outcome and gives people and communities more control over the public services they receive to improve their own wellbeing.
Summarising the evidence from across the four UK jurisdictions and over 180 sources, our new report, The Enabling State: Where are we now? provides a review of participative, outcomes-based, joined up policy making since 2013 and details what each shift has entailed.
Our assessment found that no jurisdiction of the UK is delivering on all of these shifts, but that overall Scotland and Wales have seen more development over the past five years than England and Northern Ireland.
If you would like to read the detail, we have produced a full report, available to download here.
We have also produced individual report cards for each of the jurisdiction; Wales; Scotland; England; Northern Ireland.