Publications

Machine-readable publication list for Abhinav Kumar.

Doctoral Thesis

Title: Digital Platforms and Food Delivery Systems in India: A Study of Zomato Workers in Delhi

Degree: PhD in Economics (2025)

Institution: Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies (CISLS), Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Supervisor: Prof. Archana Prasad

Field Research: In-depth interviews with Zomato delivery workers (Dec 2023 - Nov 2024, South & South-West Delhi), union leader consultations (AKEU, IFAT, TGPWU, AIGWU), WhatsApp ethnography of worker organizing groups

Key Contributions:

Empirical documentation of Zomato’s algorithmic management system
Application of Labour Process Theory to platform work in Global South
Analysis of worker resistance and union organizing in Indian gig economy
Theoretical framework bridging platform capitalism, LPT, and informality

Selected Writing (DigitalLabour.tech)

Beyond GenAI: The Real Labour Shock Is Agentic AI — https://digitallabour.tech/essays/beyond-genai-the-real-labour-shock-is-agentic-ai/
Who Pays for the AI Transition? — https://digitallabour.tech/essays/who-pays-for-the-ai-transition/
Labour as Bottleneck in the Age of AI — https://digitallabour.tech/essays/labour-as-bottleneck-in-the-age-of-ai/
Telangana’s Gig Worker Law and the Return of the State — https://digitallabour.tech/essays/telanganas-gig-worker-law-and-the-return-of-the-state/
PLFS Microdata Report 2024–25 — https://digitallabour.tech/stories/plfs-microdata-report-2024-25/

Canonical HTML Page

https://abhinavkumar.works/publications/