Karishma is a Lecturer in Digital Economy in the Department of Digital Humanities. Her ongoing research examines Industry 4.0, digital trade negotiations, and Global Value Chains (GVCs) with a focus on development implications. She is also the Digital Trade Policy Advisor at the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network, UK. Prior to joining King’s, Karishma led and collaborated on a range of projects with international and multilateral organisations like the UNECA, Commonwealth Secretariat, UNCTAD, Afreximbank, the African Union, and the WTO.

She has published in high-quality journals, including The World Economy, Review of Development Economics, European Journal of Development Research, and the Journal of International Trade and Economic Development. She has been invited to present her research to the UK Government, the African Union, the OECD-G20 working group, and the Chief Economic Advisor of India. Her research has been extensively covered by media outlets including BBC World, BBC Africa, Hindu Business Line, Voice of America, and The Conversation.Karishma has held research positions at the Institute of Development Studies (Brighton), the International Economic Development Group at ODI (London), and the Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (Geneva). She has a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Manchester and an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge.

Research Interests and PhD Supervision

• Digital trade and industrial policy
• Digital value chains and structural transformation
• Automation and the future of work
• Political economy of digital and data governance

Funded by Oxford University, UNU WIDER, IT for Change, and the Asian Development Bank, Karishma has carried out several research projects on how digital production technologies, automation, and e-commerce are changing the nature and scope of work in developing countries. Her ongoing research focuses on the effects of Artificial Intelligence on re-shaping work in low and middle-income countries. On digital governance, Karishma's research explores how existing, and proposed, global digital trade rules can undermine economic development and taxation in African countries. Her geographical expertise spans South Asia, East Africa, and South-East Asia, and she is happy to supervise new PhD students on topics related to digital industrialisation, digital governance, AI, platformisation, and the future of work in developing countries.

Teaching

Karishma teaches on a variety of topics related to digital economics, including artificial intelligence, platformisation of the economy, and data trade.

Karishma has previously held teaching positions at the University of Manchester and the Institute of Development Studies. She has taught modules related to Digital technologies and Global Value Chains, Perspectives on International Development, Inclusive Digital Trade Policy, and Development Macroeconomics.

Expertise and Public Engagement

Karishma has presented her research to high-level audiences, including the Chief Economic Advisor of India (2024), 50 ambassadors at the OECD G-20 reflection group on India (2023), the Executive Office of the Presidency in Kenya (2018), the African Union (2020-2023), the UK government (2022), and the EU Devco (2018). She has written extensively on digital development issues for WTO, World Economic Forum, Global Development Network, LSE, International Growth Centre (IGC), Africa portal, Oxford Analytica, UNU WIDER, Global Supply Chain Network, UNIDO, and ORF. Her research on digitalisation has garnered over 100 media hits and was featured across BBC World, BBC Africa, Voice of America, Sunday Nation, BusinessGhana, ModernGhana, Business Daily, South Morning China Post, and on The Medium and The Conversation. Her research on digital trade, future of work, and global value chains has been regularly invited for presentation in several international conferences, including high-level policy events such as UNCTAD e-commerce week, WTO Public Forum, CHOGUM, EU DEVCO Info-point, as well as academic conferences such as the Development Studies Association (DSA).

Selected Publications

• Banga, K., (2023) Global value chains and product sophistication in developing countries; the case of Indian manufacturing. The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development.
• Banga, K. and Balchin, N., (2022). Linking Southern Africa with South Africa’s exports. The World Economy.
• Banga, K., (2022) Impact of global value chains on total factor productivity: The case of Indian manufacturing. Review of Development Economics, 26(2), pp.704-735.
• Banga, R., and Banga, K., (2022) Scoping the potential of digital-led recovery from Covid-19 in Africa. Journal of African Trade.
• Banga, K., (2021) Digital Technologies and Product Upgrading in Global Value Chains: Empirical Evidence from Indian Manufacturing Firms. The European Journal of Development Research, pp.1-26.