Hrafnhildur Ragnarsdóttir started her PhD in 2021 focusing on the future of work and economic and social sustainability with a particular focus on public policy. The research will analyse the impact of new technologies on the future of jobs and explain the link between technological and social change, innovation and jobs and the dynamics of job destruction and job creation. The aim of the PhD is also to better understand the country-specific capabilities in selected Northern-European countries to create an economy which encourages an adjustment to new technologies and a job-creating process. An effort will be made to assess whether these countries have political and economic institutions equipped to confront future challenges and whether there are public policies and regulations in place to meet the changes in the working market. The theoretical framework will rely on the literature on socio-technical transitions and techno paradigms, as they provide an important insight into public policies, institutional environment and market conditions. Socio-technical transitions will also be discussed in relation to inclusive economic growth, displaced workers and possibilities of a universal basic income.

Hrafnhildur has over ten years of working experience in the public sector in Iceland, most recently the Director of the Performance Audit Division at the Icelandic National Audit Office. Having specialised in performance audit, she has over 7 years of experience analysing public policies, plans and public expenditure. She has produced numerous reports and recommendation for the Icelandic parliament on the performance of the public sector. In addition, Hrafnhildur has worked for Reykjavik city council managing the service centre and worked as a consultant for PriceWaterhouseCoopers with a particular focus on the public sector.

Hrafnhildur has been active in the women‘s movement. She has served on the board of the Icelandic Women‘s Rights Association and chaired the women‘s movement within the Icelandic Social Democratic Party. Furthermore, she has campaigned on behalf of the Social Democratic Party working closely with politicians both in pre-elections and national elections, as well as been elected to the executive board of the party. She has participated in debates, mostly on women‘s issues, on television, radio and in the newspapers.

Hrafnhildur completed her MSc in Comparative politics at London School of Economics and has a BA in History and Gender Studies from the University of Iceland, where she took part of her history studies at the University of Grenoble in France as an Erasmus student. She also holds a Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Iceland.

She is funded by the Chancellor's International Scholarship from the University of Warwick.

Reports:

Barnes, S-A., Hogarth, T., Wright, S., Baldauf, B. and Cárdenas Rubio, J. with Ragnarsdottir, H. and Elmezraoui, W. (2023). Labour market information and an assessment of its applications: a series of international case studies. London: Department for Education.