Transformations in work
Global energy transition, the fourth industrial revolution, demographic transitions, and new mobility patterns characterize contemporary labor markets. I am interested in what these transformations mean for labor and economic geography, human settlements, and processes of uneven development.
Photo credits (left to right): Nick, Author’s photo, Tommy Wahyu Utomo
Economic geographies of the energy transition
How will the global transition to renewable energy reshape patterns of development? Energy source influences the social and spatial structure of economies and labor markets, meaning that the reverberations of today’s transition to renewables will extend far beyond the energy and resources sector.
Current work:
I am guest editing a special issue in Applied Geography with Professor Jan Nijman: “Geographies of the Energy Transition and Dynamics of Uneven Development.” [Call for abstracts.]
With Sabina Dewan, I am examining how India’s transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles will influence regional inequalities in the country. [Contact me for our working paper.]
Deindustrialization and services-led growth
Deindustrialization is no longer limited to the Global North; it is global. Today, most workers find themselves in a vast and heterogeneous services sector, and lower-income countries are transitioning directly from agriculture- to services-based economies. I am interested in what this means for the structure of local and regional labor markets, migration and urbanization patterns, and the challenge of building more inclusive urban economies.
Current work:
Randolph, G.F. & Dutta, A. (2025) Services-led structural transformation and translocal householding. Accepted at Economic Geography.
Jamme, H., Randolph, G.F., Elharake, L., Farwa, H., Gondal, S.R., & Dewan, S. (2025). Pulling a ‘third shift’ and hitting the ‘digital ceiling’: Illusions of women’s empowerment in the gig economy. [Working Paper]
Past work:
Randolph, G., Galperin, H., & Khan, L. (2019). New opportunities in the platform economy: On-ramps to formalization in the global south. JustJobs Network.
Randolph, G.F. (2018). Boosting Urban Job Creation Beyond Lusaka: How to Catalyze Balanced, Job-Rich Urbanization in Zambia. International Growth Centre & JustJobs Network.
Randolph, G.F., & Jain, D. (2016). Promoting Job-Rich Urbanization in Zambia. International Growth Centre & JustJobs Network.
Photo credit: Diego BIS