TERMS OF REFERENCE: THE FUTURE OF WORK(ERS) IN THE DIGITAL

ECONOMY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION IN INDIA

The Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS) is looking for a consultant to undertake research
on social protection in India. SCIS is an interdisciplinary research centre located in the Faculty of
Commerce, Law and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Its
objective is to understand and address inequality in the global South, through collaborative projects
with other southern research institutions. Research themes include conceptualising, measuring and
understanding inequality; macroeconomic structures; land, class and rural economies; spatial
inequality and urban informality; work, households and the labour market; and alternative forms
of ownership.

The Future of Work(ers) Research Project explores how digital technologies are reshaping the
world of work in the global South, and the impact of these changes on inequality. The project
defines work broadly, to include productive and reproductive activities in the formal and informal
economy. It conceives of the development and application of digital technologies as a contested
terrain between workers, state and capital. It is particularly interested in how collectives of workers
shape the development and application of digital technologies and the socioeconomic policies that
they have mobilised around. Focus sectors include financial services, retail, platform work, mining,
manufacturing, agriculture and care work.
The impact of digital technologies on the world of work and inequality has been the subject of
great debate. While some argue that digitisation will lead to mass unemployment and despair
among the working class; others point to its emancipatory potential in relieving workers from
drudgery of labour and enabling more emancipatory patterns of work to flourish. Much of the
debate has been substantiated by evidence from the global North, and remarkably little by evidence
from the global South. The global South is incredibly diverse in terms of its level of economic
development, labour market structure and degree of digital penetration. In order to capture this
diversity, the project has selected the following five cases countries: Colombia, Ethiopia, India,
Mozambique, South Africa.
The approach to the research project

SOUTHERN CENTRE FOR INEQUALITY STUDIES | FACULTY OF COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT
North Lodge, Wits University Parktown Campus, 2 St David's Place, Johannesburg, 2050
T +27 (0) 11 717 8274, W www.wits.ac.za/scis/
Research objective and questions

Debates about the impact of technological change are as old as the development of capitalism
itself and tend to surface during moments of crisis and transition. What gives them a contemporary
character is the focus on the ways in which the digital economy specifically is reshaping the nature
of work and working conditions. There is much debate about the impact of digital technologies
on the world of work and by extension, inequality. National governments have tended to focus on
adaptation and labour market flexibilisation. Meanwhile, some workers’ organisations have resisted
digital technologies focusing instead on defending existing jobs; while others have fought for
upskilling to improve working conditions. Ultimately, what technology is advanced, how and for
whom, are as much political question as they are technical. When worker power is as its strongest,
digital technologies are most likely to benefit them—and vice versa.

The objective of the research is to produce a working paper reviewed by the Future of Work
reference group that provides:
• A review of the literature, regarding the nature of the labour market and its relationship
to patterns of accumulation;
• An overview of the structure of the labour market over the last thirty years (1990-2020)
o Indicators should include the employment to population ratio, the
unemployment rate, informal employment, employment by position in the labour
process, occupation and sector, time-related underemployment, poverty, working
poverty and inequality.
o These should be disaggregated by gender, race, age, geographic location, and
other relevant variables where available.
• An evaluation of the extent to which digital technologies are reshaping the labour
market, and where;
• An analysis of the impact of the digital technologies on working conditions:
o Indicators should include the employment contract, hours of work, occupational
health and safety, child labour, social protection (unemployment insurance,
pensions, maternity leave, employment injury), union and minimum wages.
• A reflection on the political and policy options for regulating the digital economy.

Timeline and research outputs

The research will take place between June and August 2020. The research outputs will be:
• A working paper of no more than 10,000 words, reviewed and accepted by the Future of
Work reference group, that explores the research questions above;
• An excel data pack with the data used to analyse the research questions above;
• Participation in an online research agenda-setting workshop in September.

The research outputs will be subject to review and approval the Future of Work reference group
and may be incorporated into a book project.

SOUTHERN CENTRE FOR INEQUALITY STUDIES | FACULTY OF COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT
North Lodge, Wits University Parktown Campus, 2 St David's Place, Johannesburg, 2050
T +27 (0) 11 717 8274, W www.wits.ac.za/scis/
Requirements
• Extensive research experience and publication record in the area of labour markets;
• A master’s degree in economics, sociology, development studies or a related field (PhD
preferred);
• High proficiency in statistical analysis;
• Fluent written and spoken English;
• Fluent written and spoken Portuguese and/or Spanish, in the case of Mozambique and
Colombia.

Application process

Please submit your CV, including references; and a 4-page research proposal by May 29th.

The research proposal should include the following:

• Your research approach, techniques and timeline;
• Your sources of data and indicators, where relevant;
• The draft structure of your paper;
• An itemised budget, in function of the number of days of work required. The daily rate is
fixed by the university and is equivalent to USD 200 a day for a senior researcher.
Because this is a desktop study we will not provide per diems or additional research
funds.

For questions or to submit your application please contact the Future of Work Research
Manager, Ruth Castel-Branco: ruth.castel-branco@wits.ac.za.

SOUTHERN CENTRE FOR INEQUALITY STUDIES | FACULTY OF COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT
North Lodge, Wits University Parktown Campus, 2 St David's Place, Johannesburg, 2050
T +27 (0) 11 717 8274, W www.wits.ac.za/scis/