Festival Shorts 2022: practical solutions to global challenges

Vaccines have been lauded as the cornerstone of recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the way in which they are administered is key to building trust among minority groups, some of which have been resistant to vaccination. But trust in government or healthcare systems is only part of the problem in vaccine uptake, and vaccine acceptance does not signify that such trust exists. Research by Elizabeth Storer, Dr Iliana Sarafian and Constanza Torre as part of a British Academy COVID-19 Recovery Grant, ‘Ethnographies of (Dis)Engagement: Understanding Vaccine Rejection in Chronically Neglected Communities across the G7’.

The UK constitution is broken – allowing leaders, representing just a minority of voters, to trample over democracy - but the fix is easy. Professor Conor Gearty argues for a fairer voting system and a written constitution based in law, rather than on mere convention. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our series of short films showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Professor Conor Gearty, LSE Law School

We must become more effective at responding to major risks, like climate change and the control of zoonotic diseases, whose consequences will be felt across all areas of society. Although the world is broadly agreed that these types of problems require regulatory interventions, the uncertainty around their outcomes means how and when they should be regulated is constantly debated. Professor Veerle Heyvaert argues that for such significant risks in fact we can be certain that greater investment in early-stage interventions would prevent a cascade of new significant risks that have to then be tackled one by one. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our short films series showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Professor Veerle Heyvaert, LSE Law School 🔸 Veerle Heyvaert "Governing Intersystemic Systemic Risks: Lessons from Covid and Climate Change"

As a country we are falling well short of the meritocratic ideal that your start in life should not dictate your destination. Only around 10% of those from working class backgrounds make it into higher managerial, professional or cultural occupations. But the problem should not be framed simply as one of access – the inequality continues once people enter the workplace and struggle to progress. Why, even when people are otherwise similar in every way we can measure, except for the fact that they come from different backgrounds, should they be earning less? Employers can be part of the solution. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our short films series showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Professor Sam Friedman, Department of Sociology 🔸 REF 2021 impact case study: The "class ceiling": tackling barriers to social mobility in UK television Illustrations: Federica Ciotti Filmmaker: Unmarked F

City and regional governments are increasingly being faced with emergent threats that are fundamentally different in scale and in scope to those of recent decades – from the climate crisis to COVID. The Emergency Governance Initiative (EGI) was formed in April 2020 as a partnership between LSE Cities, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and Metropolis to support cities and regions to handle global complex emergencies by providing critical frameworks and knowledge toolkits. EGI also promotes value-driven emergency responses - governance frameworks and best practice examples with the values of democracy, citizen participation, openness, transparency, and gender equality at their heart. There is often seen to be a tension between these values and the traditional command and control structures designed for rapid emergency responses, however the EGI seeks to reshape this narrative and demonstrate that rapid and radical action can be democratic and value-driven if emergency structures

Accessing digital technologies is only part of the problem of our unequal digital world. Inequality exists also in the different levels of skill people have to engage with that technology, and even more crucially in the differing outcomes they achieve from that engagement, or thanks to the digitisation of society more broadly. In her recent book, "Digital Disconnect", Professor Ellen Helsper examines the way that historical social inequalities play out in a digital world – some amplified, some ameliorated by technology – and the solutions that go beyond simply a more equal provision. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our short films series showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Professor Ellen Helsper, Department of Media and Communications 🔸 Ellen Helsper, The Digital Disconnect: The Social Causes and Consequences of Digital Inequalities (Sage) 🔸 REF 2021 impact case study: From skills to

Mental health problems affect up to 1 in 4 people, often with consequences across a person’s lifetime, and the pandemic has only worsened the situation. The work of the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre makes the economic case for earlier and more extensive interventions – in maternity care, in schools and in the workplace. As a society we must be more attuned to the risk factors for mental ill health, and better able to identify problems at an early stage and seek or provide the necessary support. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our series of short films showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Professor Martin Knapp, Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) 🔸 The economic case for investing in the prevention of mental health conditions in the UK (summary)

Farmers in low-income countries are one of the groups most at risk from the effects of climate change. Agricultural adaptation will play a vital role in the world’s response to climate change and should be viewed as an integral part of sustainable economic development in a post-COVID world. Successful adaptation will require more accurate weather forecasts that can inform investment and production decisions, alongside financial products that can help farmers manage shocks. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our short films series showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by the International Growth Centre, featured report by Kelsey Jack and Nick Wilkinson. 🔸 "Risk and resilience: Agricultural adaptation to climate change in developing countries" Illustrations: Rose Kibara Filmmaker: Unmarked Films

Entrepreneurs can have a tough time having their business idea heard. There are just so many businesses trying to get investment from Venture Capitalists that many great business ideas aren't seen. Alongside this; race, gender and education unfairly come into the equation when Venture Capitalists are thinking about talking to entrepreneurs. LSE research looks into one Venture Capitalist Fund who are taking a more scientific approach to shortlisting business ideas, whilst also asking the question of whether entrepreneurs who do not get funding still have value added to them by going through a process called Due Diligence. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our short films series showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Dr Juanita Gonzalez-Uribe, Department of Finance 🔸 Juanita González-Uribe, Robyn Klingler-Vidra, Su Wang, Xiang Yin - "The Value Add of Venture Capital Due Diligence for Venture

The benefits system has been crucial to supporting people during, and after, the COVID-19 crisis, with 1.8 million new claims for Universal Credit made in 5 weeks, between the end of March and the beginning of April 2020. Welfare at a Social Distance is a major national research project funded by ESRC as part of UK Research and Innovation’s rapid response to COVID-19, which sought to understand experiences and perceptions of the benefits system. The research shows that there is a window of opportunity for a more generous benefits system if people are ready and willing to seize it. As part of this year’s LSE Festival, our series of short films showcases research exploring the challenges we face across the world and the practical steps we can take to tackle them. Research by Dr Kate Summers, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Methodology 🔸 Welfare at a Social Distance: Illustrations: Nifty Fox Creative Filmmaker: Unmarked Films