Feminist Economics and Public Policy / Edition 1

by Jim Campbell, Morag Gillespie

Overview

Professor Ailsa McKay, who was known not only for her work as a feminist economist but also her influence on Scottish social and economic policy, died in 2014 at the height of her academic career and impact on public life. Organised around the key themes of Ailsa McKay’s work, this collection brings together eminent contributors to argue for the importance of making women's roles and needs more visible in economic and social policies.

Feminist Economics and Public Policy presents a uniquely coherent analysis of key issues including gender mainstreaming, universal childcare provision and universal basic income security, in the context of today’s challenging economic and political environments. It draws on international perspectives to look at the economic role of women, presenting readers with interrelated sections on gender budgeting and work and childcare, before concluding with a discussion on Citizens Basic Income and how it could contribute towards a more efficient, equitable social security system. The theoretical, empirical and practice based contributions assembled here present recommendations for more effective public policy, working towards a world in which women’s diverse roles are recognized and fully accounted for.

This book is a unique collection, which will be of great relevance to those studying gender and economics, as well as to researchers or policy makers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138950856
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/06/2016
Series:	Routledge IAFFE Advances in Feminist Economics
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jim Campbell is a Reader in Economics at Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland, UK.

Morag Gillespie, now retired, was formerly a Senior Research Fellow at Glasgow Caledonian University and a member of Women in Scotland’s Economy Research Centre, UK.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Introduction and Appreciation 1 Introduction to the themes of the book Jim Campbell and Morag Gillespie 2. Appreciation: Talking to Ailsa Marilyn Waring Section 2: Gender Budgeting 3. Gender Budgeting and Macroeconomic Policy Diane Elson 4. Challenging the norms: Gender Budgeting as Feminist Policy Change Angela O’Hagan 5. Gender budgeting in Scotland: Seeking transformative change through public spending Angela O’Hagan and Morag Gillespie 6. Gender Budgeting in the Capability Approach: From theory to evidence Tindara Addabbo 7. In Search of a Gender Budget with ‘Actual Allocation of Public Monies’: A Well-Being Gender Budget Exercise Gulay Gunluk-Senesen 8. The Spanish Central Government Budget: comments on recent experience Paloma de Villota Section 3: Women, Work and Childcare 9. Childcare as an Investment in Infrastructure Sue Himmelweit 10. Integrating Economic and Social Policy: Childcare -A transformational change? Gary Gillespie and Uzma Khan 11. Scotland and the Great Recession: An Analysis of the Gender Impact Jim Campbell, Ailsa McKay and Susanne Ross 12. Occupational Segregation and Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland Emily Thomson 13. Women working Together Ann Henderson Section 4: Citizen’s Basic Income 14. On Justifying a Citizen’s Basic Income Chris Pierson 15. A Citizen's Basic Income and Its Implications Annie Miller 16: Debating a Citizen’s Basic Income: An Interdisciplinary and Cross-National Perspective Caitlin McLean 17. Citizen’s Basic Income: A radical and transformative idea for gender equality? Morag Gillespie Conclusions 18. Concluding Thoughts: Building on Ailsa’s legacy Jim Campbell and Morag Gillespie

Editorial Reviews

‘This book is a must-read for any academic, student, civil society activist and policy expert interested not only in reducing gender inequalities but also in improving policy making more generally and in sustainable ways. Using an alternative feminist perspective, in tribute to Prof. Ailsa McKay, the authors innovatively challenge the current mainstream views about the necessity of austerity, about the unaffordable cost of public services and about the utopian vision of a universal basic income. It offers a very welcome international take on these issues, with contributions from leading experts in their fields from many countries.' — Dr Jerome De Henau, Associate Professor in Economics, The Open University, UK.

'This book is indeed remarkable tribute to Professor Ailsa McKay who was a leading expert of gender budgeting across United Kingdom. It is a timely book which encapsulates the concerns and aspirations of the contemporary feminist movement in the context of fiscal austerity and global financial crisis. The feminist movement has to intensify its struggle as the global financial crisis has dealt a severe blow to the social expenditure on gender. Gender budgeting is more relevant than ever before in highlighting that addressing gender biases in macro-economic policy is inherently valuable to society as a whole. In addition, we also need to be more creative with our solutions to the financial cutbacks to social services.' — Dr Keerty Nakray, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School and Visiting Fellow, Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University, USA.

'This collection provides an evidenced based rationale for gender sensitive macroeconomic policies for inclusive and socially sustainable development. It makes the theoretical and moral arguments and simulates alternative scenarios to demonstrate the effectiveness of investment in social infrastructure, such as child and elder care, as well as physical infrastructure. Anyone interested in evidenced based alternatives to neoliberal austerity and a more inclusive and gender equitable world would benefit from reading this book.' — Diane Perrons, Director, Gender Institute, London School of Economics, UK.

From the Publisher