New modes of industrial manufacturing:India's experience with special economic zones

Special economic zones in India have gained prominence among the policy making circles in recent years. The argument by the policy makers was that these zones will allow industrialisation in India. This article reviews the emerging geography of SEZs (special economic zones) in India and the Indian government recent experiment with the SEZs as models of economic development. The article argues that current SEZ policy in India is designed along the lines of mainstream economic strategy for industrialisation of Washington Consensus, i.e. open economy with greater market freedom coupled with minimal government intervention leads to rapid economic growth and rising incomes. The evidence suggests that these zones are giving rise to uneven geographical development in India with certain regions, sectors and classes are deriving the benefits from this policy

Indian foreign direct investments in Africa : a geographical perspective

Foreign direct investments (FDI) into Africa from developing economies have grown substantially over the past decade. While the focus of the enquiry among the geographers has been the rise of Chinese investments in Africa, India has become an important ‘Asian driver’ within the ‘new scramble for Africa’. This article highlights the geography of Indian involvement in Africa in terms of its growing scale, new patterns and the emerging complex structure of Indian investments. The article finds that the nature of India-Africa trade relationship mirrors colonial trade relationships between India and the Great Britain. The Indian investments in Africa are resource-oriented and fused with geopolitical dynamics, driven by capitalistic agendas

The Digital Continent:Placing Africa in Planetary Networks of Work

Only ten years ago, there were more internet users in countries like France or Germany than in all of Africa put together. But much has changed in a decade. The year 2018 marks the first year in human history in which a majority of the world’s population are now connected to the internet. This mass connectivity means that we have an internet that no longer connects only the world’s wealthy. Workers from Lagos to Johannesburg to Nairobi and everywhere in between can now apply for and carry out jobs coming from clients who themselves can be located anywhere in the world. Digital outsourcing firms can now also set up operations in the most unlikely of places in order to tap into hitherto disconnected labour forces. With CEOs in the Global North proclaiming that ‘location is a thing of the past’ (Upwork, 2018), and governments and civil society in Africa promising to create millions of jobs on the continent, the book asks what this ‘new world of digital work’ means to the lives of African workers. It draws from a year-long fieldwork in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda, with over 200 interviews with participants including gig workers, call and contact centre workers, self-employed freelancers, small-business owners, government officials, labour union officials, and industry experts. Focusing on both platform-based remote work and call and contact centre work, the book examines the job quality implications of digital work for the lives and livelihoods of African workers

The Digital Continent

Only ten years ago, there were more internet users in countries like France or Germany than in all of Africa put together. But much has changed in a decade. The year 2018 marks the first year in human history in which a majority of the world’s population are now connected to the internet. This mass connectivity means that we have an internet that no longer connects only the world’s wealthy. Workers from Lagos to Johannesburg to Nairobi and everywhere in between can now apply for and carry out jobs coming from clients who themselves can be located anywhere in the world. Digital outsourcing firms can now also set up operations in the most unlikely of places in order to tap into hitherto disconnected labour forces. With CEOs in the Global North proclaiming that ‘location is a thing of the past’ (Upwork, 2018), and governments and civil society in Africa promising to create millions of jobs on the continent, the book asks what this ‘new world of digital work’ means to the lives of African workers. It draws from a year-long fieldwork in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda, with over 200 interviews with participants including gig workers, call and contact centre workers, self-employed freelancers, small-business owners, government officials, labour union officials, and industry experts. Focusing on both platform-based remote work and call and contact centre work, the book examines the job quality implications of digital work for the lives and livelihoods of African workers

‘There is No Future in it’:Pandemic and ride hailing hustle in Africa

This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ride-hailing drivers in Africa. It argues that though ride-hailing offers paid-work to some African workers, the commodified and informalised nature of this work results in poor job quality. The effects of which are greatly amplified during the pandemic. Drawing on a mixed methods approach: in-depth interviews with ride-hailing drivers in Nairobi and digital ethnography, it also provides a narrative of 'hustle' to outline strategies of resilience, reworking, and resistance among informal workers. It concludes by highlighting the need for adequate regulatory frameworks and on-the-ground solidarity networks to ensure decent working conditions and to push back against precarity in the gig economy.</p