Oxford Econ Policy

The OxREP's double issue on “The Economics of Care” has been published! Read all articles online here: academic.oup.com/oxrep/issue/41…

In the OxREP, @BraunsteinFE applies a macro agenda to the economics of care. Her framework for integrating care into macroeconomics reconceptualises it as a productive process and public good, bridging the gap between feminist economics and policymaking. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

The Covid-19 pandemic created real momentum for structural reform in the care sector. In the OxREP, @ipek_ilkkaracan demonstrates that UN and World Bank policy frameworks have converged towards a feminist ‘transformative care agenda.’ doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Applying rights-based policy frameworks can pave the way for comprehensive care systems. Examining the South American case in the OxREP, Valeria Esquivel illustrates how considering caregivers as right holders enables transformative care policies. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Mariya Brussevich and Andrea Flores discuss policies aimed at reducing and redistributing the burden of care in their OxREP article. Parental leave and childcare, legal rights, and institutions determine the terms of female labour force participation. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

How do child benefits impact time allocation patterns for South African single parents? Tanima Ahmed finds in her OxREP paper that they redistribute production work time to household maintenance and care work, coinciding with an increase in total work. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

The US long-term care sector is plagued with persistent worker shortages. In the OxREP, @FurtadoDelia and Nicholas A. Jolly propose immigration policies as an effective tool for addressing labour shortages and productivity gaps. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Care in Spain has evolved in the 21st century. In the OxREP, Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Miriam Marcén, and Marina Morales draw attention to disparities in telecare, in-home care, daycare centres and nursing homes, and underline foreign-born workers’ role. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Dipa Sinha and @Jayati1609 show how inequalities shape paid and unpaid care work in India in the latest OxREP. Patterns of care range from unrecognised informal care arrangements in families to formal employment in public and private hospitals. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

The motherhood penalty persists and deepens gender gaps. In their OxREP contribution, @pilarcuevasruiz, José Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal, @svevam3, and @Sevilla_Almu highlight the impact of on-call care on long-term post-childbirth labour market outcomes. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

In the OxREP, Benjamin Bridgman argues that household production is a key contributor to economic well-being. Tracking progress towards measuring household production within a national accounting framework, he also suggests measurements beyond GDP. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

The latest OxREP assesses progress towards gender equality and women’s economic empowerment. Harnessing the potential of time-use surveys, Jacques Charmes presents a database of 44 countries, including several estimates of time use in unpaid and paid work. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Louis Henderson and Jane Humphries argue in the OxREP that care labour is systematically neglected in conventional economic metrics. They illustrate how breastfeeding has been historically unrecognised despite its crucial contribution to infant health. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

In their OxREP article, Misty L. Heggeness, Joseph Bommarito, and Pilar McDonald introduce the concept of ‘care privilege’. Those with easy access to care provision often control policymaking, while caregivers struggle to influence social policies. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Care matters beyond households and state/market-coordinated paid care work. In the OxREP, Nina Banks and Anastasia Wilson analyse the origins, form and importance of unpaid collective care work performed by racialised women in the United States and Brazil. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

In her OxREP contribution, @N_Kabeer draws attention to a global feature of patriarchy: the asymmetrical gender division of labour. Women shoulder the burden of care and domestic work; men enjoy access to resources. This pattern genders poverty. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Public spending on care constitutes investment in social infrastructure. In her OxREP article, Susan Himmelweit argues that ignoring care’s social benefits causes systemic under-spending and leads policymakers to miss excellent multiplier opportunities. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

Care labour is productive, as evidenced by ‘outputs’, including enhanced individual and social capabilities. In the OxREP, @NFolbre proposes including non-monetary indicators such as health and life satisfaction in care provision cost-benefit analysis. doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/…

In their introduction to the OxREP’s issue on the economics of care, Emily Jones, @Naughtweek, and Sarita Undurraga argue in favour of re-centring unpaid care labour at the heart of economic analysis. It is integral to the human capabilities underpinning economic activity.