How can digital, labour, and industrial policies make people safer?

The project ‘Policy-making for a more resilient world: Leveraging the World Risk Poll for more effective digital, labour, and industrial policies’ is delivered by IfM Engage, University of Cambridge in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Organization’s (UNIDO) Resident Coordination Office in Jakarta and funded by Lloyd's Register Foundation.

By analysing perceptions and experiences of risks, reviewing relevant policies, and conducting consultations with stakeholders in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region, this project aims to shape the future of global digital technology, industrial and labour policies, contributing to more resilient and inclusive economies.

The project includes the creation of four policy briefs which will launch in July, each offering key findings and recommendations. This blog shares an overview of each policy brief and some of the key emerging findings. 

Artificial Intelligence and public perception of risks  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries and societies worldwide, but perceptions of its impact vary significantly. Examining recent trends, this policy brief draws on the World Risk Poll and interconnected datasets to examine perspectives on AI and data privacy, with a focus on the Southeast Asia region. 

Preliminary findings show that countries with poor digital inclusion rankings tend to show the largest gender gaps, with men tending to be more optimistic than women about the potential impact of AI (Chart 1). In contrast, countries with stronger digital inclusion exhibit smaller gender gaps. Thailand stands out with near gender parity in AI optimism. Singapore presents an interesting exception; despite robust digital inclusion, it still has a sizable gender gap. 

The brief highlights the importance of robust policy frameworks to ensure AI systems contribute to a safer and more sustainable future for all.

Industrial policy and economic resilience

Industrialisation plays a vital role in fostering national resilience, particularly when safe manufacturing practices are diligently upheld. These practices are crucial in promoting sustainable growth and stability. This brief investigates the evolving landscape of global risks and the role of manufacturing and industrial policy in mitigating them. 

Manufacturing is known for providing formal jobs and above-average wages, helping reduce financial risks and boost economic resilience for workers and their families. According to World Risk Poll data, globally, it is the industry with the lowest financial risk—72.1% of manufacturing workers say their household could meet basic needs for over 3 months if they lost their job. In Southeast Asia, that figure is slightly lower at 64.7%, but manufacturing still ranks second in financial security, just behind mining and quarrying (Chart 2). 

Early analysis has found that there is a positive correlation between countries’ resilience and their industrial capabilities. Thus, industrialisation has a large potential to increase countries’ resilience. 

Data privacy and digital trade

With a rapidly expanding digital economy and increasing access to the internet across the region, Southeast Asian countries can leverage digital trade to facilitate cross-border commerce, broaden access to global markets, and foster innovation. However, rising cyber threats, including data breaches and fraud, undermine consumer trust in digital transactions, and could thereby limit digital trade. Over 80% of the population of Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are worried about their data being stolen. ​This policy brief examines recent trends in data privacy and security, as well as the role of digital trade governance in addressing these issues, by combining insights from the World Risk Poll with complementary datasets. 

Emerging findings show that as perception of data risks increase, countries tend to enter into more trade agreements with digital trade provisions. The most common provisions relate to data privacy and facilitation of e-commerce or online consumer protection. However, they also tend to preserve policy space on cross-border data flows in trade agreements (see Chart 3). This aligns with concerns around data sovereignty, national interests, and economic security. 

Policy recommendations will outline how digital trade governance can reduce risks related to data privacy and security for Southeast Asian countries and beyond.

Labour policy and workplace safety

Workers in Southeast Asia bear a disproportionate burden of work-related deaths. Investigating recent trends in occupational safety and health, this brief explores the role of international conventions in mitigating risks. Insights from the World Risk Poll are integrated with data on the ratification and implementation of International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions across Southeast Asian countries. Effective safety and health training is essential for reducing workplace risks and equipping workers with the knowledge and skills to prevent injuries and respond to hazards. However, Southeast Asia lags behind other regions in providing workplace safety and health training. In 2023, only 21% of World Risk Poll respondents in this region reported having received such training within the past two years, compared to the global average of 30.2% (see Chart 4).

The brief outlines policy recommendations to strengthen institutional frameworks and implementation mechanisms, enhance occupational safety and health measures, and ensure greater safety for individuals.

Looking ahead

As the project progresses, consultations will be held with regional stakeholders to ensure emerging findings are aligned with industry experiences. These insights will contribute to policy recommendations that improve workplace safety and support the responsible and more inclusive use of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. The full reports will be launched at an event in Jakarta on 16 July, with further outreach and dissemination activities continuing throughout the year, providing a foundation for discussions on building a safer and more inclusive future.

This project began in September 2024 and will run until December 2025. It was selected as part of Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s ‘World Risk Poll into action’ funding call, for its utilisation of Poll data for further research and practical interventions to improve safety. For more information on the project, contact the team at: mp841@cam.ac.uk