There is growing recognition of the importance of kindness and relationships for societal wellbeing. But talking about kindness does not fit easily within the rational lexicon of public policy. 

Julia Unwin’s report for the Carnegie Trust, Kindness, emotions and human relationships: The blind spot in public policy, argues that there have been very good reasons for keeping kindness separate from public policy but that the great public policy challenges of our time demand an approach that is more centred on relationships. With technology and artificial intelligence transforming the way we do things, it is imperative that we focus equally on our emotional intelligence.