Lloyd’s Register Foundation to support policy-making for a more resilient world

IfM Engage is one of five organisations to receive new funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation to support impactful research and practical interventions to address some of the world’s most pressing safety challenges.

The project, ‘Policy-making for a more resilient world’,  will use data from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll to tackle critical global safety and policy issues. By analysing global perceptions of risks related to artificial intelligence, personal data usage, and workplace hazards, the project aims to shape future digital technology, industry, and labour policies, contributing to more resilient and inclusive economies.

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll provides valuable insights into global safety challenges. The World Risk Poll is conducted every two years, delivered as a focused part of the Gallup World Poll. Its global coverage is unrivalled – the latest edition, published in 2024, is based on 147,000 interviews in 142 countries.

Leveraging the expertise of policy analysts from Cambridge Industrial Innovation Policy, the team will use World Risk Poll data to highlight critical risk areas needing policy action, particularly in Southeast Asian economies.

“As new digital technologies, particularly AI, present considerable safety, ethical, and regulatory challenges, well-informed and effective policies will be crucial in creating a safer future,” says Carlos López-Gómez, Head of Policy at IfM Engage.

“By leveraging high-quality data from the World Risk Poll to understand global perceptions and experiences of risks — such as those associated with AI, personal data use, and workplace hazards — we hope to identify critical policy gaps and inform effective policymaking, promoting a safer, more resilient future for communities.”

The project will enhance the World Risk Poll data by incorporating international datasets, such as the OECD AI Incidents Monitor, the OECD AI Policy Observatory, Trade Agreements Provisions on Electronic-commerce and Data (TAPED), UNIDO Statistics, and ILOSTAT.

The team will produce policy briefs focusing on four key areas:

• AI frameworks and regulations to ensure safe and inclusive AI use
• Digital economy agreements regulating cross-border data flows
• Industrial policy’s role in socio-economic resilience
• Labour policies to mitigate workplace risks

The briefs will feature recommendations for essential policy interventions in Southeast Asia and will be disseminated through a range of activities, including in-person and online seminars, workshops with national and international stakeholders, and audio-visual materials.

“The World Risk Poll is the first global study of worry about, and harm from, risks to people’s safety. It provides a unique insight into some of the biggest safety across the world, particularly in areas where little or no official data exists. By leveraging Poll data, this project led by IfM Engage is strengthening the Foundation’s efforts to foster safer and more resilience communities worldwide.”

 

Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation

The project was selected following a competitive call for funding based on its potential to use the World Risk Poll data to improve people’s safety. It will run from September 2024 to December 2025.

Find out more about the project