Dr Anita Hammer

Anita’s research is international and interdisciplinary and strongly aligned with three key strategic priorities: reducing socio-economic inequalities; sustainability; and the future of work.

She draws upon history, political economy, and labour process analysis to examine work and employment in the Global South, in particular India and the Middle East. Her research focuses on informal and precarious work, the impact of technology and climate change on the ‘future of work’, and policy debates on ‘decent work’ and ‘just transition. Anita has published widely in key journals in the field, as well as two books: Global Rupture: Neoliberal Capitalism and the Rise of Informal Labour in the Global South (Brill, 2023) and The Political Economy of Work in the Global South: Reflections on Labour Process Theory (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Anita collaborates with civil society organisation, trade unions, policy makers and public bodies (research report for Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Services, Addressing Inequalities: The Role of Staff Race Networks, ACAS (2022). She is a participant in the international CRIMT partnership project on 'Institutional Experimentation and Work Improvement', a 19-university international partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada https://www.crimt.net and, at King’s, is affiliated with the King’s India Institute and the Climate Research Hub.

Anita serves on the editorial boards of Work Employment and Society, Work in the Global Economy, Journal of Industrial Relations and Journal of Labor and Society. She is a member of British Sociological Association (BSA), British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA), and has a long-term engagement with the International Labour Process Conference (ILPC).

Prior to joining King's, Anita was Reader in HRM and School Director of Postgraduate Research at Essex Business School, University of Essex. She received her PhD, MSc and PGCHE from the University of London, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Anita enjoys and has considerable experience of successful doctoral supervision, and welcomes interest from candidates with some grounding in political economy, sociology, labour studies, history and development studies.

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Select publications

Global Rupture: Neoliberal Capitalism and the Rise of Informal Labour in the Global South (Brill, 2023) with Professor Immanuel Ness.

The Political Economy of Work in the Global South: Reflections on Labour Process Theory (Bloomsbury, 2020) with Dr Adam Fishwick.

Hammer, A., Keles, J. Y., & Olsen, W. (2022). Working Lives in India: Current Insights and Future Directions. Work, Employment and Society, 36(6), 1139–1154. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170221083511

Hammer, A., & Ness, I. (2021). Informal and Precarious Work: Insights from the Global South, Journal of Labor and Society, 24(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1163/24714607-20212000

Hammer, A. and Karmakar, S. (2021) Automation, AI and the Future of Work in India, Employee Relations: The International Journal, 43:6, 1327-1341. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-12-2019-0452

Hammer, A. (2019). Comparative capitalism and emerging economies: formal-informal economy interlockages and implications for institutional analysis, Review of International Political Economy, 26:2, 337-360, DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2018.1554537