Dr Kelle Howson

Labour and Social Security Senior Researcher

Dr Kelle Howson

Dr Kelle Howson is a Senior Researcher in Labour and Social Security at the IEJ, in the workers’ rights and social security programme with a focus on universal basic income guarantee in South Africa. She is also a Postdoctoral Researcher with the Fairwork project at the Oxford Internet Institute. Kelle’s research background is in uneven economic geography, labour, and digital economy. Kelle’s doctoral research with the University of Wellington, New Zealand, investigated the impact of international ethical certifications on working conditions in the South African wine industry. With Fairwork, she has helped to shed light on, and positively influence, working conditions in the gig economy in South Africa, Kenya, Brazil, and the online cloudwork market. Prior to her current research, Kelle served in New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Leader’s Office as a Senior Researcher.

Email: kelle.howson@iej.org.za