Keynote by Kaushik Basu

Naila Kabeer is Professor Emeritus at the Department of International Development, a Faculty member of the International Inequalities Institute and on the governing board of the Atlantic Fellowship for Social and Economic Equity at the London School of Economics, UK. She has extensive experience in research, teaching and advisory work in the fields of gender, poverty, livelihoods, social protection and inclusive citizenship, with a particular focus on South Asia. She has published books, journal articles, working papers and blogs on these issues. Her first book ‘Reversed Realities: Gender Hierarchies in Development Thought’ was published in 1994 while her more recent one ‘Renegotiating patriarchy: gender, agency and the Bangladesh paradox’ (LSE Press Open Access) came out in 2024. She has worked in an advisory capacity with various international agencies, such as the World Bank, UNDP, UN Women and the Asian Development Bank,  with international NGOs, such as OXFAM and ActionAid and with national NGOs, such as BRAC in Bangladesh and PRADAN in India. She is on the editorial board of Feminist Economics and Gender and Development and serves in an editorial advisory capacity for Development and Change, Bangladesh Development Studies and European Journal of Development Research. She is also currently on the advisory boards of UNRISD, UNU-International Institute for Global Health, a member of the UN Women Leaders’ Network and of the UN High Level Expert Group on ‘Beyond Growth’ 

Mark Graham is a Professor of Internet Geography at the Oxford Internet Institute, a Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College, a Research Affiliate in the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, a Research Associate at the Centre for Information Technology and National Development in Africa at the University of Cape Town, a Visiting Researcher at the Berlin Social Science Centre, and a Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) at The New School.

My research examines how digital technologies intersect with geographic contexts, transforming work, value chains, and inequalities on a global scale. I ask who ultimately benefits—and who is excluded—when the places in which we live and work become more deeply integrated with digital systems. I focus particularly on data workers at the economic periphery and the working conditions they face. I also lead the Fairwork action research initiative, which evaluates companies and encourages adherence to fair labour standards.

Aram Ziai is Chair of Development and Postcolonial Studies at the University of Kassel and Director of the Global Partnership Network, one of the Centers of Excellence for Exchange and Development funded by the German Ministry for Development Cooperation. He has taught among others at the universities of Hamburg, Amsterdam (UvA), Vienna (IE), Bonn (ZEF), Accra (UG) and Tehran (UT). His research areas include Post-Development approaches, the World Bank Inspection Panel and neocolonialism in the global economy.