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In the aftermath of COVID-19, the Falkland Islands Government has taken concrete steps to tackle long-standing inequalities, prompted by evidence of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on local communities. How was the evidence-policy gap bridged in this instance? Flora Cornish and Kate Cochrane reflect on relational policy-making in small countries.

Despite high levels of informality, Africa’s statistics on COVID-19 mortality have been paradoxically low in comparison to countries in the Global North. Examining studies that attribute low counts to poor statistical reporting, Kate Meagher argues that excess death estimates tell us more about the assumptions of the modellers than they do about the realities of COVID-19 in Africa.

Despite high levels of informality, Africa’s statistics on COVID-19 mortality have been paradoxically low in comparison to countries in the Global North. Examining studies that attribute low counts to poor statistical reporting, Kate Meagher argues that excess death estimates tell us more about the assumptions of the modellers than they do about the realities of COVID-19 in Africa.

The Digital Futures Commission’s research on play in the digital world shows that, when it comes to play, children do not limit themselves to only the spaces, objects or products that adults provide. Children told us in our first consultation how they highjacked Zoom to create their playground to connect with their friends and family during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, few mainstream products and services children use for playful purposes are designed with children’s diverse requirements and rights in mind!

As the COVID-19 crisis has made way for inflation and skyrocketing energy prices, the self-employed have not yet found their way out of the recent economic adversities. And many of them are now finding their way out of self-employment, write Robert Blackburn and Maria Ventura.

Going to Tel Aviv is an absolute joy for any Judeophile. In the late summer of 2022, your correspondent was fortunate enough to go back to Tel Aviv, the ‘capital of the Mediterranean cool’, which was as magnificent as ever. Star of David flags, hoisted along the beachfront, flutter in the late afternoon breeze. Bikini and shorts-clad Tel Avivi millennials, with impeccably bronzed bodies, crowd the bars alongside Hilton beach. From the nearby speakers, female vocals softly proclaim to the sounds of deep house: “Straight to the open sea, I am diving to the memories you gave me; I could never leave, I could never leave, Tel Aviv….” There were practically no traces left of the stringent measures associated with halting the COVID-19 spread.

The effectiveness of policy responses to Covid-19 has varied substantially across Europe. Drawing on new research, Timothy Besley and Christopher Dann illustrate how political trust and voluntary compliance have underpinned state capacity and government pandemic responsiveness during the pandemic.

On 20 May 2022, the co-Principal Investigators on an academic collaboration project ‘Arab News Futures’ organised a research symposium on ‘The Future in Arab Media and Cultures’, hosted by the LSE Middle East Centre. The event, one of the first to be held face-to-face at LSE following COVID-19 restrictions, brought together scholars and journalists to explore different facets of the idea of the future as it relates to Arab media and cultures historically and into the present moment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted academic lives differentially, not the least of which, those who have lost relatives and live with the effects of the virus. For other groups, such as carers and academic parents, the pandemic has brought about a significant disruption to their working lives, but how exactly can this be accounted for? Discussing findings from an app-based momentary assessment of academic parents, Roxanna Nasseri Pebdani, shows how academic parents and especially mothers, have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and suggests ways in which higher education institutions should adapt to this reality.

Since Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential election, many commentators have attributed his election loss to his poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In new research, Carlos Algara, Sharif Amlani, Sam Collitt, Isaac Hale, and Sara Kazemian find that this is not the whole story. Comparing changes in Trump’s vote share with COVID-19 mortality rates, they find that Trump performed better in places more badly affected by the pandemic. They argue that Trump’s election-campaign messaging about the negative economic impact of lockdowns and other pandemic-related restrictions likely drove the increased voter support for him in the worst affected areas.