DOCSLIB.ORG

Purple Pact: a Feminist Approach to the Economy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Purple Pact: a Feminist Approach to the Economy PURPLE PACT A FEMINIST APPROACH TO THE ECONOMY ABOUT THE EUROPEAN WOMEN’S LOBBY TABLE OF CONTENT Founded in 1990, the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is the largest alliance of over 2,000 women’s non-governmental associations in the EU coming together to campaign for their Foreword 05 common vision of a Feminist Europe. Executive Summary 07 Glossary 08 Statement of purpose: Feminist values and principles underpinning the Purple Economy 11 This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Rights Equality and Citizenship (REC) programme 2014-2020 A feminist vision of the economy 12 of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the Policy milestones towards a Purple Pact 13 sole responsibility of the European Women’s Lobby and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission. CHAPTER I: TOWARDS A PURPLE ECONOMY: CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY IN EUROPE 14 1.1 Feminist approaches to macro-economics 15 With the support of the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES) 1.2 Intersectionality: an inclusive approach to a feminist economy 15 1.3 Fiscal policies for the benefit of women and the well-being of all 16 Coordination: Joanna Maycock, Mary Collins Editing: Barbara Helfferich 1.4 Gender budgeting: making public finance and economic policies Editorial group: Lenka Formánková, Marion Boeker, Taniel work for equality between women and men 17 Yusef, Emma Ritch, Ipek Ilkkaracan Graphic Design: Aurore de Boncourt 1.4.1 Gender budgeting is gender mainstreaming 17 1.4.2 An urgent focus on military spending 18 Drafted with the input of the EWL Feminist Economics Working 1.5 Human dignity and the costs of violence against women 18 Group. Special thanks to all those who contributed: 1.5.1 Not for sale: challenging the commercialisation of Members of working group 2017-2018: women and girls’ bodies 19 Sophie Hansal, Christiane Ugbor, Magdalena De Meyer, Lenka Formankova, Inge Henningsen, Maria Ludovica Bottarelli CHAPTER 2: THE CARE ECONOMY FOR THE WELL-BEING OF ALL: Tranquilli, Audroné Kisieliené, Tonny Filedt-Kok Weimar, Ana BUILDING A CARING SOCIETY FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE PLANET 20 Sofia Fernandes, Linda Gail Schang, Emma Ritch, Amélie Leclercq, Fulya Pinar Özcan, Katerina Nicolaou, Claudine Serre – Monteil, 2.1 Caring: the backbone of a feminist economic model 21 Paula Koskinen Sandberg, Kata Kevehazi, Ipek Ilkkaracan, Ana G. 2.2 A feminist approach to the care economy 21 Valenzuela Zapata, Marion Böker, Irina Sile, Taniel Yusef, Luisella 2.2.1 Care as an investment 21 Bosisio Fazzi, Sinem Yılmaz, Iliana Balabanova Stoycheva, Ulrike 2.2.2 Care as a right 22 Helwerth, Eilís Ní Chaithnía (Canny), Nuray Özbay Bilir 2.2.3 Care and autonomy: two sides of the same coin 22 Special thanks to interns Julia Crumière, Margherita Logrillo, 2.2.4 A Care Deal for Europe 23 Vittorio Tavagnutti, Cecilia Francisco Carcelen and Jessica Nguyen CHAPTER 3: BUILDING A FEMINIST FUTURE: WOMEN, EMPLOYMENT The term ‘Purple Pact‘ is inspired by the Purple Economy concept first proposed by Ipek Ilkkaracan from the EWL coordination AND CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING LABOUR-MARKET 24 Turkey as the vision of a gender egalitarian and sustainable 3.1 The Purple Economy and the changing nature economy. of paid and un-paid work 25 © Lobby européen des femmes, 2019, 2nd edition 3.2 Current and future challenges for women in the labour-market 25 3.2.1 The aging care challenge 25 3.2.2 The challenges of intersectionality in the European labour-market 26 3.2.3 The challenges of the digital economy - women’s plights remain the same on and off-line 26 3.2.4 Decent work in the gig economy 27 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS: THE PURPLE PACT: AN INVITATION TO STAKEHOLDERS TO TAKE ACTION ON ALL OF THESE ISSUES 28 2 3 FOREWORD As we experience a new leadership of the European propose a radical shift in economic policy aiming to build institutions, with the first woman President of the European a new and inclusive economic framework based on core Commission leading a more gender balanced Commission, feminist values. more women than ever elected to the European Parliament and the first woman President of the European Central The feminist approach to the economy embodied in Bank (ECB), the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) is working the EWL’s Purple Pact takes as a starting point the full hard to ensure that the EU puts women’s rights back at the participation of women in all areas of life and equal heart of its political agenda. As the European institutions representation of women in all their diversity at all levels debate the future political and economic strategies, we of decision-making, including economic decision-making. will continue to push for a feminist Europe - including our It aims to build an inclusive economy for the well-being demands for feminist economics based on care, social of all. The focus is a universal social care system with an rights and equality, and an end to exploitation and violence infrastructure that can provide social and care services for against women. We will demand that women’s rights be at all and quality services which are accessible and affordable. the centre of the future EU macro-economic framework. It also stresses the fact that environmental issues have always been, and are increasingly, also a matter of human We continue to see women disproportionately impacted by rights and social justice and are thus feminist issues and an the disastrous austerity measures imposed across Europe. integral part of feminist economic analysis. Migrant women, young women, women experiencing poverty and women with disabilities are particularly Our Purple Pact presents a profound challenge to the impacted by unemployment, precarious jobs and increasing current European macro-economic framework, which inequality, and the erosion of social protection, welfare and represents the characteristics of what is essentially a pension schemes. With pressure on jobs and the very future patriarchal model: of work, we are witnessing a restructuring of the economy and society that may lead to increasing pressure on • The Stability and Growth Pact, the EU framework for fiscal women to revert to traditional roles in the home, as well as surveillance and fiscal policy coordination, constraints on becoming even further exposed to exploitation and violence. social expenditure and economic growth, forcing more economically vulnerable Member States into stagnation The urgent need for economic transition to address the and generating excessive fiscal austerity during recessions, climate crisis also demands an understanding of the links thereby contributing to aggravating gender inequalities and between women’s rights and the environment. As part of women’s double workload. European governments’ commitments set out in the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, the EU must play a decisive • Gross domestic product (GDP), as the main indicator role in adopting the European Green Deal to promote of countries’ economic performance, play a key role the necessary changes for gender equality, creates jobs in the assessment and design of economic policy and for all and ensures the well-being of present and future decision-making on a macro and micro-economic scale. generations. In omitting the value of un-paid care work and voluntary work in GDP calculations, governments ignore the decisive We are united in presenting our Purple Pact as an contribution of this type of work to the well-being of society important contribution to the current feminist debates and the economy. Failure to account for environmental on the future of Europe at a time when people in Europe depreciation generated by resource-intensive production and European leaders seek solutions to massive global gives dangerous signals to public and private decision- challenges. This paper analyses the current economic makers, encouraging investments and consumption in system from a critical feminist perspective with the aim to activities that are detrimental to future sustainability. These 4 5 omissions are particularly serious in view of the fact that, • The maintenance of tax havens in European countries within the framework of the European System of National or under European jurisdiction aggravates the possibility EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and Regional Accounts (ESA 2010, annexed to Regulation of tax evasion for high income earners and companies EU 549/2013)1, which is compulsory to apply in Member and contributes to decapitalisation of public budgets and States, illegal activities that are harmful to fundamental social security systems, weakening the social state and human rights, such as prostitution, drug production and undermining the social cohesion and the acquis humanist Economic processes have a profound influence on social It advances an inclusive approach to macro-economics by trade, and smuggling, are included. of the European Social Model. life, gender relations and equality between women and proposing the Purple Economy, which seeks to integrate a men. gender perspective into fiscal, economic and employment • Public expenditure on education, training and culture With this Purple Pact, we are building on EWL’s previous policies and put care at the centre of macro-economic is treated in national accounts as public consumption work on austerity, the care economy, poverty and social This paper analyses the current economic system from policy-making with a view to enhancing the well-being of expenditure rather than assuming that it is a decisive rights. This present report has been drafted with inputs a critical feminist perspective with the aim to propose a all as well as protecting the natural environment. investment for the future sustainability of the economy and insights of many brilliant women from within our radical shift in economic policy aiming to build a new and and the prevention of future burdens in health, crime, movement working together across Europe through the inclusive economic framework based on core feminist CHAPTER 2 - The Care Economy for the well-being of all: unemployment, etc.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mainstreaming Gender Equality
    AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP WORKING PAPER MAINSTREAMING GENDER EQUALITY: A ROAD TO RESULTS OR A ROAD TO NOWHERE? AN EVALUATION SYNTHESIS OPERATIONS EVALUATION DEPARTMENT (OPEV) MAY 2011 MAINSTREAMING GENDER EQUALITY: A ROAD TO RESULTS OR A ROAD TO NOWHERE? AN EVALUATION SYNTHESIS 2 The views and interpretations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the African Development Bank or the Operations Evaluation Department. “We’re on a road to nowhere Come on inside. Takin’ that ride to nowhere We’ll take that ride.” 1 Talking Heads: Road To Nowhere2 (1985) 1 Byrne, D., Weymouth, T., Frantz, C., and Harrison, J. (1985) 2 Cover Photo: “A Road to Results or A Road to Nowhere?”, Northern Kenya 2003. © Lee Alexander Risby 3 Contents Acknowledgement 4 Abbreviations 5 1. Main Conclusions and Options 6 2. Evaluation Synthesis Framework 12 3. Concepts and Context: A Brief Overview of Gender Mainstreaming 17 4. Gender Mainstreaming: Intentions and Practice 23 4.1 Procedures and Practice 4.2 Leadership: The Critical Factor 4.3 Resources for Delivery 4.4 Accountability and Incentives 4.5 Results Reporting 5. Challenges and Options for Gender Mainstreaming 58 5.1 A Place for Gender in the New Aid Architecture? 5.2 The Roots of Mainstreaming Failure 5.3 Good Practice and Options – What Next for Gender? Annex 1. List of Evaluations 72 Annex 2. Supplementary Non-Evaluative reports and articles 74 4 Acknowledgements The analysis and preparation of the report was undertaken by Lee Alexander Risby, Principal Evaluation Officer at the African Development Bank, and David Todd, Consultant.
    [Show full text]
  • Demographics, Wealth, and Global Imbalances in the Twenty-First Century
    Demographics, Wealth, and Global Imbalances in the Twenty-First Century § Adrien Auclert∗ Hannes Malmbergy Frédéric Martenetz Matthew Rognlie August 2021 Abstract We use a sufficient statistic approach to quantify the general equilibrium effects of population aging on wealth accumulation, expected asset returns, and global im- balances. Combining population forecasts with household survey data from 25 coun- tries, we measure the compositional effect of aging: how a changing age distribution affects wealth-to-GDP, holding the age profiles of assets and labor income fixed. In a baseline overlapping generations model this statistic, in conjunction with cross- sectional information and two standard macro parameters, pins down general equi- librium outcomes. Since the compositional effect is positive, large, and heterogeneous across countries, our model predicts that population aging will increase wealth-to- GDP ratios, lower asset returns, and widen global imbalances through the twenty-first century. These conclusions extend to a richer model in which bequests, individual savings, and the tax-and-transfer system all respond to demographic change. ∗Stanford University, NBER and CEPR. Email: [email protected]. yUniversity of Minnesota. Email: [email protected]. zStanford University. Email: [email protected]. §Northwestern University and NBER. Email: [email protected]. For helpful comments, we thank Rishabh Aggarwal, Mark Aguiar, Anmol Bhandari, Olivier Blanchard, Maricristina De Nardi, Charles Goodhart, Nezih Guner, Fatih Guvenen, Daniel Harenberg, Martin Holm, Gregor Jarosch, Patrick Kehoe, Patrick Kiernan, Pete Klenow, Dirk Krueger, Kieran Larkin, Ellen McGrat- tan, Kurt Mitman, Ben Moll, Serdar Ozkan, Christina Patterson, Alessandra Peter, Jim Poterba, Jacob Rob- bins, Richard Rogerson, Ananth Seshadri, Isaac Sorkin, Kjetil Storesletten, Ludwig Straub, Amir Sufi, Chris Tonetti, David Weil, Arlene Wong, Owen Zidar and Nathan Zorzi.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Wealth Inequality
    EC11CH05_Zucman ARjats.cls August 7, 2019 12:27 Annual Review of Economics Global Wealth Inequality Gabriel Zucman1,2 1Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA; email: [email protected] 2National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Annu. Rev. Econ. 2019. 11:109–38 Keywords First published as a Review in Advance on inequality, wealth, tax havens May 13, 2019 The Annual Review of Economics is online at Abstract economics.annualreviews.org This article reviews the recent literature on the dynamics of global wealth https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-economics- Annu. Rev. Econ. 2019.11:109-138. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org inequality. I first reconcile available estimates of wealth inequality inthe 080218-025852 United States. Both surveys and tax data show that wealth inequality has in- Access provided by University of California - Berkeley on 08/26/19. For personal use only. Copyright © 2019 by Annual Reviews. creased dramatically since the 1980s, with a top 1% wealth share of approx- All rights reserved imately 40% in 2016 versus 25–30% in the 1980s. Second, I discuss the fast- JEL codes: D31, E21, H26 growing literature on wealth inequality across the world. Evidence points toward a rise in global wealth concentration: For China, Europe, and the United States combined, the top 1% wealth share has increased from 28% in 1980 to 33% today, while the bottom 75% share hovered around 10%. Recent studies, however, may underestimate the level and rise of inequal- ity, as financial globalization makes it increasingly hard to measure wealth at the top.
    [Show full text]
  • The Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 February 2021
    The Budgetary Effects of the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 FEBRUARY 2021 If enacted at the end of March 2021, the Raise the Wage Act of 2021 (S. 53, as introduced on January 26, 2021) would raise the federal minimum wage, in annual increments, to $15 per hour by June 2025 and then adjust it to increase at the same rate as median hourly wages. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill’s effects on the federal budget. The cumulative budget deficit over the 2021–2031 period would increase by $54 billion. Increases in annual deficits would be smaller before 2025, as the minimum-wage increases were being phased in, than in later years. Higher prices for goods and services—stemming from the higher wages of workers paid at or near the minimum wage, such as those providing long-term health care—would contribute to increases in federal spending. Changes in employment and in the distribution of income would increase spending for some programs (such as unemployment compensation), reduce spending for others (such as nutrition programs), and boost federal revenues (on net). Those estimates are consistent with CBO’s conventional approach to estimating the costs of legislation. In particular, they incorporate the assumption that nominal gross domestic product (GDP) would be unchanged. As a result, total income is roughly unchanged. Also, the deficit estimate presented above does not include increases in net outlays for interest on federal debt (as projected under current law) that would stem from the estimated effects of higher interest rates and changes in inflation under the bill.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Sciences: Achievements and Prospects Journal 3(11), 2019
    Social Sciences: Achievements and Prospects Journal 3(11), 2019 Contents lists available at ScienceCite Index Social Sciences: Achievements and Prospects Journal journal homepage: http://scopuseu.com/scopus/index.php/ssap/index What are the differences between the study of Micro Economics and Macro Economics and how are they inter­related with regard to the drafting of economic policies to remain current and relevant to the global economic environment Azizjon Akromov 1, Mushtariybegim Azlarova 2, Bobur Mamataliev 2, Azimkhon Koriev 2 1 Student MDIST 2 Students Tashkent State University Economic ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: As economics is mostly known for being a social science, studying production, Received consumption, distribution of goods and services, its primary goal is to care about Accepted well­being of its society, which includes firms, people, and so forth. The study of Available online economics mainly consists of its two crucial components, which are Keywords: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Together these main parts of economics are concerned with both private and public sector issues including, inflation, economic Macroeconomics, growth, choices, demand and supply, production, income, unemployment and many microeconomics, other aspects. It is already mentioned that well­being of society would be indicators, production, established when government, while making economics policies, assume all factors consumers, companies, including those people who are employed or unemployed, so that no one gets hurt economics, government or suffer in the end. When it comes to making economic decisions and policies, governments should take into consideration that decisions made on a macro level has huge impact on micro and the same with micro, firms, households, individuals’ behaviors and choices come as aggregate in total, then turns into macro level, which triggers the introduction of some policies.
    [Show full text]
  • Diane Elson: Marx and Feminist Economics
    Marx and Feminist Economics Notes for a presentation by Diane Elson at Conference on Studying Modern Capitalism- The Relevance of Marx Today At Institute for International Political Economy at the Berlin School of Economics and Law July 2018 Introduction Feminist economics emerged as a distinct body of work in economics in the 1990s, with the founding of the International Association for Feminist Economics (1992), the journal Feminist Economics (1995) and the publication of the Elgar Companion to Feminist Economics (Peterson and Lewis, eds, 1999). It is unified by a concern with gender equality and women’s rights and well- being, and the application of economic thought to analyse gender inequality and women’s lack of rights and inadequate well-being. Of course, a concern with these issues is not altogether new in political economy. The Introduction to the Elgar Companion identified as examples John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill, Friedrich Engels, and Torstein Veblen. The variety of approach exemplified in these examples continues in today’s feminist economics, which is eclectic in the kinds of economic theory and analytical tools that are utilised. The first issue of Feminist Economics included a critique of Becker’s theory of the family, a critique of the use that mainstream economists make of the story of Robinson Crusoe, an econometric test of the influence of social/institutional variables on behaviour within families, a debate between a neoclassical economist and an institutionalist economist on determinants of women’s labour force participation in USA, and a paper about caring labour that compares neoclassical and institutionalist perspectives.
    [Show full text]
  • Providing Unpaid Household and Care Work in the United States: Uncovering Inequality
    o IWPR #C487 January 2020 Providing Unpaid Household and Care Work in the United States: Uncovering Inequality By Cynthia Hess, Ph.D., Tanima Ahmed, M.Phil, and Jeff Hayes, Ph.D. In the United States, women spend considerably more time than men over their lifetime doing unpaid household and care work. The unequal distribution of this work—work that is essential for families and societies to thrive—not only limits women’s career choices and economic empowerment, but also affects their overall health and well-being. In recent years, the gender gap in unpaid household and care work in the United States has narrowed as more women have entered the labor market and men have taken on more of this work, yet it is unlikely that a significant further shift can occur without public policies that better support families with unpaid care responsibilities (Samman, Presler-Marshall, and Jones 2016). Increasing societal investments in care, and strengthening supports for working adults that allow them adequate time for providing unpaid care for their loved ones, would affirm the value of unpaid household and care work and contribute to the well-being of households, communities, and societies. These shifts are critical now, especially as the need for care for older adults in the United States is growing rapidly (Mather, Jacobsen, and Pollard 2015). Many studies have examined the gender gap in unpaid household and care work and its causes, yet few consider how women’s experiences with this work might differ across demographic groups and how the size of the gender gap in household and unpaid care work might change when the full range of household and care work activities, including elder care and “secondary” as well as “primary” child care, is considered.1 This briefing paper draws on relevant literature 1 In primary child care, the caregiver engages in an activity with the child.
    [Show full text]
  • Macroeconomics Course Outline and Syllabus
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Open Educational Resources New York City College of Technology 2018 Macroeconomics Course Outline and Syllabus Sean P. MacDonald CUNY New York City College of Technology How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/ny_oers/8 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] COURSE OUTLINE FOR ECON 1101 – MACROECONOMICS New York City College of Technology Social Science Department COURSE CODE: 1101 TITLE: Macroeconomics Class Hours: 3, Credits: 3 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Fundamental economic ideas and the operation of the economy on a national scale. Production, distribution and consumption of goods and services, the exchange process, the role of government, the national income and its distribution, GDP, consumption function, savings function, investment spending, the multiplier principle and the influence of government spending on income and output. Analysis of monetary policy, including the banking system and the Federal Reserve System. COURSE PREREQUISITE: CUNY proficiency in reading and writing RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK and MATERIALS* Krugman and Wells, Eds., Macroeconomics 3rd. ed, Worth Publishers, 2012 Leeds, Michael A., von Allmen, Peter and Schiming, Richard C., Macroeconomics, Pearson Education, Inc., 2006 Supplemental Reading (optional, but informative): Krugman, Paul, End This Depression
    [Show full text]
  • The Socio-Economic Approach to the Study of Modern Economic Systems
    Management 2018 Vol. 22, No. 2 DOI: 10.2478/manment-2018-0038 ISSN 1429-9321 MARIA AKULICH JERZY KAŹMIERCZYK The socio-economic approach to the study of modern economic systems. Post-capitalism. Part 2. 1. Introduction Essential transformational processes, including the globalization of economic and social systems, occur in the modern world. This study describes problems regarding humankind’s future and defi nes the primary trends in the development of certain countries and humankind as a whole. Modern scientists seek to analyze economic and social situations; they make projections, develop models of social development and form concepts related to modern society. During the past century, two socio- economic systems existed, capitalism and socialism; modern society includes traits from both of these systems. It is important to determine what type of society is preferable and the prospects for its development. Research regarding capitalism, socialism and Prof. Maria Akulich Tyumen State University modern society is necessary and should be Russia conducted using the formational approach Jerzy Kaźmierczyk, Ph.D. as its basis. This analysis will enable us to Poznan University determine what type of society will evolve in of Economics and Business the 21st century. The logic of the substantial Poland development from the 19th century up to the Tyumen State University Russia present day, as seen from the point of view of 299 Management 2018 Vol. 22, No. 2 a formational approach (it has been analyzed in Akulich and Kaźmierczyk 2018), has proceeded as follows: Capitalism -> capitalism (USA, Great Britain, etc.) -> post-capitalism Capitalism -> socialism (USSR, Hungary, etc.) -> post-capitalism The main aim of this paper is to show that from the point of view of the socio- economic approach, the modern information society is post-capitalist, and all countries, regardless of their historical past - capitalist or socialist development, are fully or at least partially involved in this system.
    [Show full text]
  • Gender at the Crossroads of Home, Family, and Business from the Early Modern Era to the Present
    INTRODUCTION WHAT IS WORK? Gender at the Crossroads of Home, Family, and Business from the Early Modern Era to the Present Raffaella Sarti, Anna Bellavitis, and Manuela Martini 1. What is work? A fresh perspective from the (alleged) margins What is work? The question chosen as a title for this volume is an ambi- tious one. We are obviously aware that a huge body of literature on work exists, and we certainly do not pretend we can give a defi nite answer to the question,1 which may not even be possible.2 Instead, we will use this question as a tool to interrogate history, the social sciences, and also pol- itics. Such a question prompts us in fact to adopt a critical and diversifi ed view of work and, consequently, of economic and social policies, too. On the other hand, establishing the boundaries, implications, and stakes of a new characterization of work is a crucial issue in the contemporary de- bate, and is obviously also motivated by the ongoing dramatic economic, technological, organizational, social, and cultural changes affecting the world of work. Let us start with a telling example. “Italy is a Democratic Republic, founded on work,” article 1 of the Italian Constitution, written after the Second World War and enforced in 1948, authoritatively states3: this implied and still implies a kind of overlap between enjoying citizenship and working. When the Italian Constitution was enforced, according to the Italian population censuses as many as three-quarters of adult Italian women were not working or, more precisely, were economically “inac- tive.” What did they do? About 60 percent of them were housewives: 2 Raffaella Sarti, Anna Bellavitis, and Manuela Martini they were therefore likely to actually work very hard.
    [Show full text]
  • Mainstreaming Women, Equating Men: Charting an Inclusionary Approach to Transformative Development in the African Decade for Women
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ldd.v15i1.2 Mainstreaming women, equating men: Charting an inclusionary approach to transformative development in the African decade for women DEJO OLOWU Research Professor (Public Law & Legal Philosophy), North-West University (Mafikeng Campus) 1 INTRODUCTION In time past, developmental efforts tended to focus on either men or women but seldom on both.1 For decades, therefore, development assistance often took the form of providing technologies, loans and training to men.2 Starting in the early 1970s, however, analysts pointed out the need to pay more attention to women as agents of development.3 The initial focus was to direct more resources to women and, later, focus attention more broadly on gender dynamics and inequalities.4 The global movement for gender equality itself has undergone a similar shift over the course of time, from an early emphasis on women alone to the recognition of the need to engage men in the process. Since the mid-1990s men’s role in progress towards gender mainstreaming has been the subject of growing international commitments and activity. In the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, governments expressed their resolve to encourage men to participate fully in actions towards gender mainstreaming. This resolve was made in the follow-up meeting, otherwise known as Beijing+5, in 2000. The role of men and boys has also been addressed at other intergovernmental platforms, including the World Summit on Social Development, 1995 and its review session in 2000, as well as the special session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on HIV/AIDS in 1 See Jahan R The elusive agenda: Mainstreaming women in development Zed Books (1995) 5-7.
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Empowerment and Economic Development: a Feminist
    Feminist Economics ISSN: 1354-5701 (Print) 1466-4372 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rfec20 Women’s Empowerment and Economic Development: A Feminist Critique of Storytelling Practices in “Randomista” Economics Naila Kabeer To cite this article: Naila Kabeer (2020) Women’s Empowerment and Economic Development: A Feminist Critique of Storytelling Practices in “Randomista” Economics, Feminist Economics, 26:2, 1-26, DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2020.1743338 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2020.1743338 © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group Published online: 13 May 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 5070 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rfec20 Feminist Economics, 2020 Vol. 26, No. 2, 1–26, https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2020.1743338 WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:AFEMINIST CRITIQUE OF STORYTELLING PRACTICES IN “RANDOMISTA” ECONOMICS Naila Kabeer ABSTRACT The 2019 Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to three scholars on the grounds that their pioneering use of randomized control trials (RCTs) was innovative methodologically and contributed to development policy and the emergence of a new development economics. Using a critical feminist lens, this article challenges that conclusion by interrogating the storytelling practices deployed by “randomista” economists through a critical reading of a widely cited essay by Esther Duflo, one of the 2019 Nobel recipients, on the relationship between women’s empowerment and economic development. The paper argues that the limitations of randomista economics have given rise to a particular way of thinking characterized by piecemeal analysis, ad hoc resort to theory, indifference to history and context, and methodological fundamentalism.
    [Show full text]