Staff profile

Kira's research and teaching focuses on the political economy of postcolonial states. Her work examines how states in the Global South face severe structural constraints from their integration into global capitalism, and as a consequence must actively shape how labour is organised, educated, and deployed to meet development objectives. Her current research explores how the Tunisian state shaped its labour force over three distinct development eras, which she is developing into a monograph.

Kira joined the School of Government and International Affairs in 2025. Prior to that, she was a Lecturer in International Political Economy at King's College London. She received her PhD in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research has been published in Critical Sociology and Third World Quarterly.

Journal Article

• State strategies and gendered labour: neoliberalism’s impact on Tunisia’s working class composition
  
  Brenner, K. (2025). State strategies and gendered labour: neoliberalism’s impact on Tunisia’s working class composition. Third World Quarterly, 46(12), 1481-1501. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2025.2542495
• The Working Class and the Capitalist State: An Autonomist Marxist Perspective
  
  Brenner, K. (2025). The Working Class and the Capitalist State: An Autonomist Marxist Perspective. Critical Sociology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/08969205251343820