GRF · Policy Nexus

Policy Nexus

Policy analysis, institutional capacity and cross-border learning focused on consequential shared risks. Policy Nexus is an established platform of The Global Risks Forum.

Open Mandate, publisher and status About GRF
STEM methods
4
Canonical methods this field applies
Topics
9
Subject pages in the field
Counterparts
7
Platforms in shared fields across the network
Report series
2
Reports series it contributes to
01Contents

Policy Nexus in seven parts.

In this dossier7 parts
  1. 01The problemShared risks outrun the institutions built to manage them
  2. 02FrameworksWhat the work is read against
  3. 03OverviewWhat Policy Nexus does
  4. 04What the platform doesComparison, options and dialogue
  5. 05Foundations and counterpartsSteward of policy science, connected across three institutions
  6. 06CoverageThe areas of policy this platform takes on
  7. 07GroundingBuilt on named science, technology, engineering and mathematics
02The problem

Shared risks outrun the institutions built to manage them.

Many of the risks that matter most today do not respect the boundaries of ministries, mandates or states. A drought becomes a food, energy, health and migration problem. A new technology raises questions for competition, security, labour and rights at once. A pandemic tests health systems, public finances, supply chains and public trust together. Policy, by contrast, is usually made in separate portfolios, on separate timetables, with separate evidence and accountability.

Policy science has a well-established account of why this is hard. Benefits of prevention are uncertain and delayed while costs are immediate; responsibilities are fragmented so that no single body owns a cross-cutting risk; information is unevenly distributed; and the actors who must cooperate often have different incentives. Coordination failures are therefore common even when everyone agrees a risk is serious. Implementation adds further gaps, as policies designed centrally meet local capacity limits and unforeseen behaviour.

When policy fails on a shared risk, the consequences cascade across sectors and borders. Unmanaged exposure in one place becomes a cost in another; a regulatory gap in one jurisdiction becomes a channel for risk into others. The field exists to help institutions see these connections, compare how others have responded and learn what works in practice.

Why now: much of 2026's policy agenda is implementation, from national plans under the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to the amended International Health Regulations in force since September 2025. Policy Nexus compares how jurisdictions assign and carry these duties, convenes the institutions concerned, and records options and dissent; reviewed comparisons can inform country and regional editions of Reports.

03Monitor

Policy tracker.

The screen a team would use to follow this field: its measures, states and decisions. Names are examples and values are illustrative.

Policy tracker

Member state A · Session 3

4 items for councilGRF · Policy Nexus

Policy cycle

Agenda01
Heat-health action dutyProblem framing
Formulation02
Risk-informed planning law3 options appraised
Drought allocation rulesOptions drafting
Consultation01
DRR strategy refresh334 responses
Adoption01
Building code updateCommittee vote due
Implementation01
Early warning mandateMilestone 3 of 6
Evaluation01
Flood insurance schemeEvaluation year 2

Options appraisal, planning law

A · guidance only39LowMixedHigh
B · duty with standards61MediumPositiveMedium
C · duty, standards, funding76HighPositiveLow

Decision record

Owner
Policy owner
Decision by
Legislative committee
Evidence
synthesis SY-73
GRF role
convenes, does not decide
Policy tracker: the screen's structure, terms and states for Member state A.Example names and illustrative values; a design, not a record or a live system.
04Topics

The questions this field works on.

Topic

Risk-informed policy

Risk across government decisions.

Topic

Disaster risk reduction policy

Prevention and national strategies.

Topic

Climate and adaptation policy

Climate, nature and public planning.

Topic

Technology policy

AI, biotechnology and innovation.

Topic

Health and social policy

Resilience and wellbeing.

Topic

Development policy

Equity and economic transformation.

Topic

Cross-border policy

Cooperation on basins, grids and corridors.

Topic

Policy implementation learning

From policy designs to monitored outcomes.

Topic

Inclusive development governance

Institutions, social inclusion and development policy.

05Policy scenarios

Compare instruments: rules, incentives and information.

Three families of instruments side by side against the baseline, each with its own lag and adoption speed, under the coverage and compliance you set; effect sizes are teaching values to replace with evidence. Scenario: named assumptions about the future, not a forecast. The map on this page shows Africa; the model itself is not tied to a place.

Controls

Baseline trend of the outcome
2.0% a year
Coverage of the instrument
70%
Compliance
75%
Effect size, against the teaching value
100%
Years ahead
20 years

Readouts

Largest reduction at the horizon
Regulation
Its reduction against the baseline
21%
Numbers, methods and sources
YearBaselineRegulationEconomic incentiveInformation and capacity
0100.099.598.899.1
1102.0101.2100.199.8
2104.0102.5101.199.9
3106.1103.5101.6100.0
4108.2103.7101.8100.7
5110.4103.2101.7102.1
6112.6102.0101.6103.9
7114.9100.4101.6105.9
8117.299.2102.1108.0
9119.598.6102.9110.1
10121.998.9104.2112.3
11124.399.7105.7114.5
12126.8101.1107.4116.8
13129.4102.7109.4119.2
14131.9104.5111.4121.6
15134.6106.5113.5124.0
16137.3108.5115.7126.5
17140.0110.7118.0129.0
18142.8112.9120.4131.6
19145.7115.1122.8134.2
20148.6117.4125.2136.9

Methods

  1. Tools of government Hood (1983), The Tools of Government, Macmillan
  2. Carrots, sticks and sermons Bemelmans-Videc, Rist and Vedung (1998), Transaction
  3. Diffusion of innovations Rogers (2003), Diffusion of Innovations, Free Press
  4. Uncertainty fan (parameter Monte Carlo) Spiegelhalter, Pearson and Short (2011), Visualising uncertainty about the future, Science 333
  5. One-at-a-time sensitivity (tornado) Saltelli and others (2008), Global Sensitivity Analysis: The Primer, Wiley

Data

The model runs on the teaching values set by the controls. To calibrate it for a place, read it against these admitted layers and series, which this page's map can draw:

  • Borders Natural Earth
  • Cities Natural Earth
Compare instruments: rules, incentives and information. Illustrative teaching model: it runs on the values set by the controls, not on measured data. Methods: Tools of government (Hood (1983), The Tools of Government, Macmillan); Carrots, sticks and sermons (Bemelmans-Videc, Rist and Vedung (1998), Transaction); Diffusion of innovations (Rogers (2003), Diffusion of Innovations, Free Press).

Across the six pillars, led by Nexus Consortium

06Frameworks

What the work is read against.

The platform does not set standards. It reads its evidence against the frameworks that competent bodies have adopted, so a finding can be placed where a decision-maker already works.

Framework or standardBodyWhat it sets
OECD Recommendation on Regulatory Policy and GovernanceOECD CouncilWhole-of-government regulatory policy: impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, ex post review and regulatory oversight bodies
OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Critical RisksOECD CouncilNational strategies for critical risks, all-hazards assessment, risk-informed investment, transparency and cross-border cooperation
IRGC risk governance frameworkInternational Risk Governance Center, EPFLPhases of pre-assessment, appraisal, characterisation, management and communication, distinguishing simple, complex, uncertain and ambiguous risks
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk ReductionUNDRR, endorsed by the UN General AssemblyPriorities and global targets for understanding, governing and investing in disaster risk reduction, reported through the Sendai Framework Monitor
Open Government Partnership national action plansOpen Government PartnershipCo-created government commitments on transparency, participation and accountability, assessed by the Independent Reporting Mechanism
Regulatory impact assessment guidanceOECD, European Commission Better Regulation guidelines and national cabinet officesHow the problem, options, costs, benefits, distributional effects and consultation of a proposed rule are assessed and published
Sustainable Development Goal 16United NationsTargets and indicators for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions, access to justice and responsive, participatory decision-making
Paris Agreement transparency and adaptation provisionsUNFCCCNationally determined contributions, national adaptation plans and reporting under the Enhanced Transparency Framework
International Health RegulationsWorld Health OrganizationObligations on States Parties for core public health capacities, event notification and annual self-assessment reporting
ISO 31000 Risk management guidelinesInternational Organization for StandardizationPrinciples, framework and process for managing risk in organisations, public bodies included
07Implementation

From mandate to evaluation, by pillar.

The steps an instrument takes from mandate to evaluation, each with the pillar that runs it, and the decisions that stay with the authority. Teaching model with stated illustrative values, not a prediction. The map on this page shows Africa; the model itself is not tied to a place.

  1. Mandate and problem framing Competent authority (outside the programme)
    A competent authority frames the problem and the mandate under its own rules. Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009)
  2. Evidence and system model Foundry
    The system is modelled with its feedbacks, data and stated limits. OECD (2014), principle 2
  3. Options appraised with scenarios Foundry
    Instruments are compared under scenarios, with uncertainty shown. Hood (1983)
  4. Exercise with stakeholders Universe
    The options are tested in an exercise with those who would implement and bear them. OECD (2014), principle 3
  5. Standard or guidance drafted Nexus Standards
    What works is codified as a standard or guidance, open to comment. Nexus Standards process
  6. Decision by the authority Competent authority (outside the programme)
    The authority decides, outside the programme, with the evidence on record. Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009)
  7. Capacity and training Risk Academy
    Those who implement are trained on the decided instrument and its data. Sendai Framework (2015), priority 2
  8. Monitoring and public report Reports
    Indicators are published with sources, limits and corrections. OECD (2014), principle 5
  9. Evaluation and revision Nexus Standards
    Results return to the standard and the model: the cycle closes. Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009)

Methods

  1. Policy cycle Howlett, Ramesh and Perl (2009), Studying Public Policy, Oxford University Press
  2. Governance of critical risks OECD (2014), Recommendation of the Council on the Governance of Critical Risks
  3. Layered drawing of directed graphs Sugiyama, Tagawa and Toda (1981), IEEE SMC 11
From mandate to evaluation, by pillar: the steps as recorded, each with its pillar; sources as cited on each step.

Across the six pillars, led by Nexus Consortium

08Overview

What Policy Nexus does.

Risk-informed public policy is policy that brings evidence about hazards, exposure, vulnerability and systemic interdependence into budgets, regulation, investment and planning, with clear ownership in government. Policy Nexus, Global Risks Forum's platform for it, covers disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, technology, health and social protection, cross-border cooperation, implementation and inclusive development.

Who it serves

Its community

Policy advisers; institutional analysts; international cooperation teams; public administration researchers.

How it works

Its methods

Policy comparison; public consultation; option analysis.

What it produces

Its outputs

Policy primers; comparative institutional briefs; dialogue records.

09Twin and cascade simulator

Exercise a cascade in Policy Nexus with the people who decide.

Assembled from the Nexus Standards area profile Political and governance risk standards: the hazards it names, the systems and communities that carry the loss, the controls and institutions that dampen it and the data that observe it. Pick an initiating event and step through the cascade to see where mandates meet and which decisions fall to whom. The Map view places the run on an example geography with open data. Every weight is a stated assumption. An exercise for dialogue, not a forecast, an assessment or a position. To model a place of your own choosing, open the full System Builder.

Controls

  • NS-0 Constitution and principles
  • NS-9 Contextual UNIs (deployments, instances, programme instances)
  • NS-10 Policies and clauses (machine-readable obligations: definition, binding, evaluation and enforcement)
  • NS-11 Verification and monitoring (evidence, attestations, zero-trust conformance observation)
  • NRS-H112 Hazard family: Governance and institutional failure (NHS-1 soc.governance)
  • NRS-U9 Universe platform profile: Financial Regulation Nexus
  • NRS-H59 Hazard family: Economic shocks and governance failure (NHS-1 soc.economic)
  • NRS-H118 Hazard family: Organised crime and illicit economies (NHS-1 soc.crime)
  • NRS-A5 Built-in licensing and rights
  • NRS-U24 Universe platform profile: Policy Nexus

Observation

  • Worldwide Governance Indicators (listed for reference)
  • V-Dem dataset (listed for reference)
  • Global SDG Indicators Database (listed for reference)
  • Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services
  • Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive
  • Number of countries that adopt and implement national DRR strategies in line with the Sendai Framework
10What the platform does

Comparison, options and dialogue.

Policy Nexus produces policy primers, comparative institutional briefs and dialogue records. Its methods are policy comparison, public consultation and option analysis. It serves the people who advise on and implement policy, and the researchers who study public institutions, by providing a neutral place to compare approaches and test options.

Compare

How institutions respond

Comparative analysis of laws, mandates, instruments and outcomes across jurisdictions, with their context stated.

Examine

Options and trade-offs

Structured option analysis that sets out consequences, uncertainty and who bears costs, without recommending a choice.

Convene

Dialogue and learning

Policy dialogues and consultations where public servants and experts exchange experience under agreed rules. See policy dialogues.

11Instruments and commitments

How Policy Nexus is governed: instruments, mandates and commitments.

The instruments, mandates, actors and accountability arrangements a policymaker, diplomat or development agency works with, citing the agreements that set them. Structures follow the frameworks named. Any state or progress drawn is illustrative, not a record.

Policy instrument matrix

The kinds of instrument available on Policy Nexus, by level of government and cooperation.

Instrument typeLocalNationalRegionalGlobal
RegulatoryZoning, building codesLaws, standards, licensingHarmonised rulesConventions and treaties
EconomicLocal levies, grantsBudget lines, taxes, insurance schemesRisk pools, regional fundsFinancing mechanisms
InformationLocal warningsDisclosure, early warning, statisticsData sharing arrangementsGlobal monitoring and reporting
InstitutionalLocal committeesLead agencies, coordination councilsRegional bodies and secretariatsMultilateral mandates
CooperativeCommunity agreementsPartnership compactsMemoranda and joint programmesAgreements and joint commitments
A typology after the OECD Recommendation on the Governance of Critical Risks; examples of instrument types, not an inventory of any country's measures.

Accountability cycle

How commitments on Policy Nexus are held to account, from commitment to correction.

  1. CommitGovernmentA commitment with a mandate and a legal basis.
  2. PlanLead agencyA national plan with owners and milestones.
  3. ResourceMinistry of financeA budget line or financing on record.
  4. ImplementAgencies and local governmentDelivery against the plan.
  5. ReportStatistics officeIndicators reported in agreed definitions.
  6. ReviewLegislature, audit, civil societyIndependent review of results and gaps.
  7. CorrectGovernmentChanges to the plan, published with reasons.
A generic accountability cycle; the owner of each step follows the country's own constitution and law.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction · UNDRRParis Agreement · UNFCCC2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals · United NationsInternational Health Regulations · WHO
12Foundations and counterparts

Steward of policy science, connected across three institutions.

Policy Nexus stewards policy, institutional and decision science and game theory and mechanism design in the STEM Commons, and applies causal inference and impact evaluation and decision analysis under uncertainty; see the STEM foundation. Two chapters develop specialist lines: geoeconomic and trade governance and inclusive development governance.

13Geography

People and hazards in Africa.

Population density, night lights and flood water over Africa, from NASA GIBS. Each layer carries its own date.

The interactive map needs JavaScript; the layer list and sources are below.

Layers 3

People and hazards, for this page

Latest available

NASA GIBS / EOSDIS · ASTER GDEM (METI, NASA) · Blue Marble (NASA) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Natural Earth

Loading the latest NASA imagery.

Drag to move. Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll, pinch or the buttons to zoom; hover for the values under the pointer; reset returns to the region.

People and hazards, framed on Africa.Satellite and model products as NASA publishes them, each with its own date. They are indicators, not assessments of any place.

Data: NASA GIBS · ASTER GDEM · Blue Marble · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Natural Earth · NASA EONET · U.S. Geological Survey · NOAA GOES-East ABI GeoColorSources and licences

  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University. 2018. Gridded Population of the World, Version 4 (GPWv4): Population Density, Revision 11. NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). doi:10.7927/H49C6VHW. CC BY 4.0
  • VIIRS Black Marble night-time lights, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; distributed by the NASA Level-1 and Atmosphere Archive and Distribution System (LAADS DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • VIIRS near-real-time products (flood, land surface temperature, snow cover, corrected reflectance), NASA LANCE; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), VIIRS 375 m active fire product, NASA LANCE; vector tiles via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • ASTER GDEM is a product of METI and NASA (ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003, NASA LP DAAC); imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). Cite as: NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Spacesystems and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (2019). ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model V003. doi:10.5067/ASTER/ASTGTM.003. NASA open data
  • Made with Natural Earth. Free vector and raster map data @ naturalearthdata.com. Public domain
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via NASA GIBS (coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names). Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). ODbL
  • Blue Marble, NASA Earth Observatory; imagery via NASA GIBS. Colours redrawn from the published colour map; values averaged into hexagonal cells where shown (modified). NASA open data
  • Context on the globe and flat map: coastlines, boundaries, roads and place names from NASA GIBS reference layers (OpenStreetMap data, ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors); Blue Marble imagery as an optional base; 3D terrain and the elevation read-out from the ASTER GDEM elevation colour index (5 m to 200 m classes, exaggerated for legibility). Boundaries are drawn as published and imply no position on any territory.
  • Live events: NASA Earth Observatory Natural Event Tracker (EONET); events are indicative and keep their original source links.
  • Live: NASA EONET Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
  • Live: U.S. Geological Survey Events are indicative, not authority warnings.
  • Live: NOAA GOES-East ABI GeoColor (CIRA). We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • NASA GIBS: We acknowledge the use of imagery provided by services from NASA's Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS), part of NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS).
  • Optional layers (5 sources in the layer list: live, forecast, observed and context) print their provider credit on the map and here when switched on; forecasts are model output and derived indices are estimates.

Layers and dates

  • Population density, 2020: Population: CIESIN, Columbia University, Gridded Population of the World v4.11 (2018), NASA SEDAC, CC BY 4.0 · static
  • Night-time lights, daily: VIIRS Black Marble (VNP46A2), NASA LAADS DAAC · 12 Oct 2026
  • Flood water, 3-day composite: VIIRS Global Flood Product, NASA LANCE · 14 Oct 2026
  • Active fires and thermal anomalies: VIIRS NOAA-20 375 m (FIRMS), NASA LANCE FIRMS · 13 Oct 2026
  • Land surface temperature, day, 8-day composite: VIIRS NOAA-20 Level 3, 8-day, NASA LANCE · 14 Sep 2026
  • True colour: VIIRS NOAA-20 corrected reflectance, NASA LANCE · 13 Oct 2026

14Coverage

The areas of policy this platform takes on.

Policy Nexus studies how public institutions decide about shared and consequential risks: how mandates are assigned, how rules are made and assessed, how agreements across borders are negotiated and kept, and how policy designs become monitored outcomes. Its pages set out the governance mechanisms through which policy risk develops and spreads, the measures of policy capacity and regulatory quality, the public records behind them, and the institutions that hold each decision, with every measure labelled by its evidence.

Area

Risk informed policy

How governments bring risk evidence into budgets, regulation, planning and investment, and who at the centre of government owns it.

Area

Disaster risk reduction

National and local strategies, legal mandates and prevention budgets under the Sendai Framework, and how their implementation is monitored.

Area

Climate and adaptation governance

Climate laws, adaptation plans, nationally determined contributions and how climate risk enters spatial and sectoral planning.

Area

Technology and innovation policy

Rules, standards and supervisory institutions for artificial intelligence, biotechnology and other emerging technologies.

Area

Health and social protection

Health security obligations, social protection systems and the institutions that sustain wellbeing through shocks.

Area

Cross-border cooperation

Treaties, joint bodies and data sharing on shared river basins, interconnected grids and trade and transport corridors.

Area

Implementation and evaluation

How policies are delivered, monitored, audited and evaluated, and how the lessons return to the next decision.

Area

Inclusive development governance

Participation, representation, accountability and the institutional conditions under which development policy reaches excluded groups.

15Grounding

Built on named science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Every claim on Policy Nexus rests on methods with a canonical page in the STEM Commons, so readers can see what a finding depends on and where its limits lie.

Policy, institutional and decision scienceGame theory and mechanism designCausal inference and impact evaluationDecision analysis under uncertainty

See the STEM foundation of Policy Nexus

16Cycle

How work moves in this field.

A question becomes evidence, a governed build, an organised community, a controlled test, a reviewed publication and, finally, a decision taken by the competent authority under its own rules.

  1. Question Universe National, regional or institutional priority. Question in Policy Nexus
  2. Evidence Foundry STEM foundation of the platform. Evidence in Policy Nexus
  3. Build Foundry Foundry. Build in Policy Nexus
  4. Organise Universe Nexus ecosystem. Organise in Policy Nexus
  5. Test Universe Universe (independent site). Test in Policy Nexus
  6. Publish Reports Reports. Publish in Policy Nexus
  7. Decide Competent authority Competent authorities and institutions, through NXS-RLS (participants, agreements and handoffs). Decide in Policy Nexus
  8. Renew Universe Corrections and the next annual agenda. Renew in Policy Nexus

Each step of the cycle in the pillar it runs in; the decision stays with the competent authority, outside the programme.

17Six pillars

How this works across the six pillars.

Policy Nexus works through six pillars of one annual programme, led by the Nexus Consortium, with the Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), GRF and the Global Risks Alliance (GRA) each contributing in its role: explore, experiment and prototype in Labs, build, simulate and prepare in Foundry, convene and test in Universe, codify, correct and apply in Nexus Standards, publish in every format in Reports, teach in the open in Risk Academy.

Select pillars · hover lines18 / 18 handoffs

Route

The whole programme

Every pillar hands its work to another; together they close the year's feedback loops.

L · F · U · S · R · A

Pillars
6 of 6
Handoffs
18 of 18
Loops
17 closed

Handoffs in play

  • F01Universe → Foundry · Admitted mission becomes a cycle project with a decision caseReadiness preparation
  • F02Foundry → Universe · Core Build Report and go or no-go evidenceControlled build
  • F03Foundry → Reports · Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profileCloseout
  • F04Universe → Reports · After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13After-action review

and 14 more

F01 to F14 are the recorded handoffs of the programme year, each with the artefact that moves and its phase; R1, R2, R3 and R4 carry work around the ring. A loop counts when every pillar on it is selected. Every pillar is led by the Nexus Consortium.
  1. LabsWhere questions become experiments and prototypes: new methods, data and tools are tried in the open, with their limits on record, before the Foundry builds them, under the Nexus Consortium.Labs
  2. FoundryWhere the evidence behind a mandate or commitment is built, with its owner and limits on record.Policy Nexus in FoundryFoundry
  3. UniverseWhere mandates become missions: GRF records each gate, convenes the parties and keeps implementation accountable.Policy Nexus in Universeuniverse.nexus
  4. Nexus StandardsWhere shared rules are agreed in the open; each jurisdiction decides adoption, and no global body holds a veto.Foundations and Governance in Standardsnexustandards.com
  5. ReportsWhere governance analysis and the year's results are published, so commitments can be followed and checked.Policy Nexus in ReportsReports
  6. Risk AcademyWhere policymakers, diplomats and agency staff learn the programme roles and decision-making on the record, on Risk Academy.Faculty of Governance, Policy and International Affairs in Academyrisksacademy.com
18Consortium

The same field, seen three ways.

GCRI studies a field as science, GRF governs it and GRA builds shared financial understanding of it. Policy Nexus links to its counterparts so that work on one side is visible on the others.

19Pages

Pages in Policy Nexus.

Page

Mandate, publisher and status

Page

Discipline and institutional issues

Page

Research and institutional knowledge

Page

Professional practice

Page

Dialogues and cooperation

Page

Programmes and projects

Page

Annual programme contribution

Page

Specialist and institutional community

Page

Leadership and skills

Page

Convenings and dialogues

Page

Published findings

Page

Participate

Page

Institutional contact

Page

Transparency, rights and safeguards

Page

STEM foundation of Policy Nexus

Page

Chapters

Page

How work moves in this field

Page

Build in Foundry

Page

Test in Universe

Page

Publish in Reports

Page

The same field across the Consortium

Page

Topics

20Connected

Where this page leads across the Consortium.

21Questions

Questions and answers.

Who publishes Policy Nexus?
The Global Risks Forum (GRF) publishes Policy Nexus and is responsible for what it publishes. GRF convenes and governs programmes. It does not regulate, finance, procure or certify, and hosting or sponsorship confers no authority over findings.
Is Policy Nexus active?
Policy Nexus is an established platform of The Global Risks Forum. Information and enquiries are open today. An enquiry receives a reference and names the next step; applications, payments, compute allocations and registrations open only when their team, terms and review capacity exist.
How can I contribute?
Start with the participation paths or write to Contact. An enquiry receives a reference; it does not create membership, a role or an assignment.
Where are findings published?
Reviewed outputs appear on the publications page, and contributions to the Reports series are listed on Publish in Reports.
Which values on this platform are real?
Indicator names, units, sources, methods and frameworks are real. Levels in figures and canvases are examples in a design. A programme replaces them with labelled evidence it owns.
How do I report an error?
Use corrections and concerns, or write to Contact. A correction is recorded as a new version, never a silent edit.
Does Policy Nexus make policy recommendations?
It analyses options and sets out their consequences and trade-offs. It does not issue binding recommendations or speak for any government. Choices remain with the competent authorities under their own processes.
Who takes part in policy dialogues?
Public servants, advisers, researchers and practitioners, usually in their professional capacity. Participation is by invitation or application as each dialogue opens, and it gives no authority over findings.
ReportsContribute

Contribute evidence from this page.

Reports is the Consortium's quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

Global Risks ForumPolicy NexusEvidence BriefPortfolio and Readiness

Never send personal data, sensitive infrastructure detail or anything you have no right to share. A contribution is reviewed before use; sending it confers no authorship or editorial rights, and sponsorship never buys a finding.

How it works

How Policy Nexus works.

Choose a view and press Play to follow the platform's process, its programme year, the standards it applies and how its findings are published. The outline shows how the work is designed to run, not the status of any decision.

Process explorer · Policy Nexus

How Policy Nexus works

8 steps4 stages

Policy Nexus

How Policy Nexus works

Platforms · Programme year · Standards · Reports

A platform joins a field to named methods, labelled evidence and the outputs it publishes, without becoming the authority it serves.

  1. 01 Scope

    1. 01Field and familiesStart · The platform leadThe home states the field, its families and who it serves.
    2. 02Topic dossiersRecord · Platform authorsTopics explain the subject with labelled evidence.

  2. 02 Evidence

    1. 03Evidence labelsRecord · GCRIEach value is labelled: observed, published statistics, estimated, modelled, scenario or unknown.
    2. 04MethodsStep · Method ownersMethods come from the STEM Commons, each with one canonical page.

  3. 03 Work

    1. 05Scenarios on the systemsModel · Foundry pillarScenarios run on the Nexus systems, labelled as scenario.
    2. 06Standards that applyRecord · Nexus StandardsThe platform names the standards that apply. A validator report is evidence for review.

  4. 04 Publish

    1. 07EditionsRecord · ReportsFindings are published through Reports with their limits.
    2. 08Authority decidesOutcome · The competent authorityDecisions and execution stay with the government, operator or licensed institution.

Policy Nexus home · Platforms · Shared methodsAn outline of how the work is designed to run; it does not report the status of any decision or record.

Take part

Take part in Policy Nexus.

Start from who you are. Answer an open call. Or form and lead a competence cell on the Policy Nexus platform.

Route

National institutions

Ministries, statistics offices and agencies: a national desk and chapter, and a seat in the working groups. National chapters

Route

Sectors and professions

Operators, regulators, banks, insurers and professional bodies whose work touches Policy Nexus. Participate

Route

Learning

Courses and practice, with a record of every course completed. Free to study. Open learning

Route

Standards

Draft, review and adopt the methods and data standards with the working groups. Working groups

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The Global Risks Index

Every figure on this page is indexed: governance, conflict, society, Africa.

205 sources451 indicators905 hazards54 series195 country profiles

The Index is the Consortium's indexing system for risk data. Every indicator, hazard, series and country profile carries its Nexus Standards identifier, its source and its licence, so what this page shows can be traced, corrected and reused.

  1. 01 · Sources205 registered sourcesEvery value keeps its source and licence; withheld values are counted.Data and licences
  2. 02 · Nexus StandardsNIS-1 and NHS-1451 indicators, 905 hazards; every record carries a UNI.Nexus Standards
  3. 03 · The Index54 series, 195 country profilesComputed on the standards; no value is published until an edition is released.The Global Risks Index
  4. 04 · This pagePolicy NexusMaps, figures and feeds read the Index in the context of governance, conflict, society and Africa.Public API
Sources205registered, each with its licence
Indicators451NIS-1, 106 composites, 20 domain indices
Hazards905NHS-1, crosswalked to UNDRR-ISC HIPs
Series54global, sector, strategic, technology, thematic
Country profiles195one site per country

Series in this context governance, conflict, society

  1. GLBGlobal SystemsThe state of interdependent global risk: the twenty domain indices aggregated to the world, the five core systems (water, energy, food, health, biodiversity) and their couplings, the global tail register and the gap…NXS-GRX-AR-000002Conflict · Society · Governance
  2. GSGlobal Policy and institutionsGovernance weakness, state capacity, rule of law, preparedness frameworks and the institutional ability to anticipate and adapt.NXS-GRX-AR-000072Governance · Crisis · Conflict
  3. SRConflict, fragility and human securityConflict risk and escalation, fragility, organised violence, civilian harm and the conflict–climate–food–displacement nexus.NXS-GRX-AR-000075Conflict · Governance · Society
  4. SRInformation integrity and social cohesionInformation disorder, polarisation, trust and cohesion as amplifiers of every other risk.NXS-GRX-AR-000084Governance · Society · Conflict

All 54 series · The 20 domain indices

Country profiles Africa

AGOAngolaBDIBurundiBENBeninBFABurkina FasoBWABotswanaCAFCentral African RepublicCIVCôte d'IvoireCMRCameroonCODDemocratic Republic of the CongoCOGCongoCOMComorosCPVCabo VerdeDJIDjiboutiDZAAlgeriaEGYEgyptERIEritreaETHEthiopiaGABGabonGHAGhanaGINGuineaGMBGambiaGNBGuinea-BissauGNQEquatorial GuineaKENKenyaLBRLiberiaLBYLibyaLSOLesothoMARMoroccoMDGMadagascarMLIMaliMOZMozambiqueMRTMauritaniaMUSMauritiusMWIMalawiNAMNamibiaNERNiger+ 18 more, all country profiles

Every country profile carries the source and licence of each value. Correct a value or reply

Hazard domains NHS-1

Geodata and API open

Open layers on an equal-area hexagon grid, shown as densities per km² or as symbols: People · GHSL 2025People · WorldPop 2025Built-up areaPortsAirportsRoadsRailwaysRivers and lake centrelines

/api/v1/public/grix · https://nexustandards.com/uni/{uni}
Developers · Data · Made with Natural Earth, Public domain; GHSL and WorldPop, CC BY 4.0

Snapshot of the Index registries pinned 2026-10-23 · 22c6eed. Research and risk-analytics information: not a rating, an official classification, a warning, a benchmark or advice.

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