This week I have had the huge privilege of joining the Carnegie UK team as their new Director of Change and Collaboration. I join the organisation after working for some 17 years in and around public policy issues in the UK. And despite the pull towards cynicism that can take hold after so long working in the orbit of politics and policy change, I am genuinely excited by the prospect of working to help put wellbeing approaches at the heart of decision making across the UK and Ireland. Particularly right now.
Events from this week have highlighted just how important new approaches towards tackling complex social and economic problems are and why using collective wellbeing as a focus for these is more important, and more relevant, than ever.
Here in Scotland, we’re preparing to receive a new First Minister, and regardless of who that will be, each of the candidates has noted a political focus on growing the economy and tackling poverty in our society – with the concept of a “wellbeing economy” raised repeatedly. While the idea of a wellbeing economy is just one aspect of moving towards better collective wellbeing, at Carnegie UK we believe that focusing on the economic output of Scotland should not be done at the expense of other aspects of economic wellbeing (like the quality of jobs and decent incomes) or other social, environmental, and democratic outcomes.
This week also saw the Scottish Government launch the public consultation to review the National Outcomes (make sure and get your responses in before the deadline on 5 June). This is an important opportunity to advocate for Scotland’s National Performance Framework evolving to become Scotland’s Wellbeing Framework as a practical tool to help close the implementation gap between rhetoric and action on wellbeing from public service and national agencies.
In Westminster too, this week has seen major announcements and interventions from the UK Government as part of the Budget, with support for energy bills, pension reform, further devolution in England and the expansion of childcare all grabbing the headlines. Each of these has a link to Carnegie UK’s four domains of collective wellbeing: social wellbeing, economic wellbeing, environmental wellbeing and democratic wellbeing. There was also a welcome theme emerging from much of the Chancellor’s remarks about the long-term nature of some of the challenges we face in the UK today and the need to take a longer-term approach to policy. An approach that Carnegie UK has long championed and sought to help advance through our evidence, policy and practice.
All to say it has been a busy first week with a lot going on around wellbeing and public policy. I am excited to be working with brilliant colleagues on these issues and I am keen to start getting out and about across the UK and Ireland to meet with interested partners and potential collaborators to learn, explore and advocate for how change happens. If that’s you, then please do get in touch.
