Sir John Elvidge, former Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, and fellow of the Carnegie UK Trust, has argued that improving the wellbeing of UK citizens depends on a new and more ‘Enabling’ State approach being adopted by our Government.

To do that, government needs to stop being a barrier to the empowerment of people.

The finding is one of several key actions outlined in a new report A route map to an Enabling State, produced by Sir John on behalf of philanthropic organisation, the Carnegie UK Trust.

It marks the culmination of an 18 month research project to produce the most comprehensive contemporary review of public policy reform from around the UK and Ireland on the topic of the nature and role of government.

There has already been interest in the findings from the internationally influential Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Sir John Elvidge, who holds a Fellowship with the Carnegie UK Trust, said: “There is clear evidence that people wish to be in control of their own lives. There is also evidence that feeling in control is a factor in better physical and mental health. So it goes with the grain of both our individual and our collective interest to seek to maximise that control.”

The recommendations for governments put forward by Sir John and the Carnegie UK Trust, are:

1. Getting out of the way

2. Giving permission

3. Helping others help each other

4. Giving people help to do more

5. Giving people rights

6. Making enabling the ‘new normal’

7. Investing in disadvantaged communities

8. A focus on wellbeing

Sir John added: “I see this as a matter of seeing what is happening around us with fresh eyes and trying to build on the strengths of what communities, families and individuals are achieving, for themselves and each other. It is a description of contemporary realities not a theory.

"The step forward in the document is about proposing what governments at all levels can do to encourage and support positive change.”

He continued: “We need to keep up with people's view of the differences between what the state does well from what it doesn't. The state is excellent at providing standardised services. Health is a good example of the relationship between citizens and the state.

"We know for example in the UK that in most people's eyes the NHS remains the defining success of the post-war welfare reforms. However, the state’s ability to improve wellbeing in all circumstances is limited because each person sees their own wellbeing differently and the state isn’t good at individual responses.

"It works for the many on behalf of the majority. Where people want something which feels right for them individually or their family they are increasingly finding ways to mix and match from a variety of sources.”

“Governments need to empower and support communities and families. To do that, the first step will be difficult, governments need to stop doing things for people that they could organise and do themselves.

"The motives for trying to intervene may be benign but it doesn’t help in the long term. There are some great examples of better results achieved by communities across the UK and Ireland and we believe we shall find more internationally, through our engagement with OECD.

"What this is about is, learning from the best and adapting that into a new relationship between citizens and governments focused on wellbeing.”

Martyn Evans, chief executive of Carnegie UK Trust, added: “What has been highlighted by this work is the need to put wellbeing at the heart of public policy in the UK and to do that we need a change in the way governments not only think but work.”

Rolf Alter, director for Public Governance and Territorial Development of the OECD, said: "OECD has made the restoration of trust between citizens and their governments a key theme in work on rebuilding economic well-being around the world.

"As a contribution to discussion about potential ways of achieving that, Sir John Elvidge's work on the Enabling State has emerged as a new and interesting angle on how governments can develop a new type of relationship with their citizens.

"The work of the OECD and the Carnegie UK Trust shares an emphasis on exploring the practical actions that governments can take to strengthen trust through a more open and participatory exchange between government and citizens."

A route map to an Enabling State follows an 18 month project led by Sir John Elvidge looking into the rise of the enabling state.

His first report on the topic: The Enabling State: A discussion paper was published in 2012.

During 2013, the Trust have been sought to better understand and clarify what an Enabling State means with the help of stakeholders from across the UK and Ireland.

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