Depletion and social reproduction

Much work has been done on the unaccounted contribution of social reproductive work to national economies. What has been less studied is the consequence of this neglect for individuals, households and communities engaged in social reproduction. Where these consequences have been recognised, it has largely been in the context of economic crises. So, for example, Elson has pointed out in her analysis of gendered impact of crises, "If too much pressure is put upon the domestic sector to provide unpaid care work to make up for deficiencies elsewhere, the result may be a depletion of human capabilities, ...To maintain and enhance human capabilities, the domestic sector needs adequate inputs from all other sectors. It cannot be treated as a bottomless well, able to provide the care needed regardless of the resources it gets from the other sectors" (2000:28). In this paper we take this insight and develop it in the context of the everyday political economy. We argue that the inputs into social reproduction are less than the outputs generated by it. We term this difference depletion

Gendering international political economy

In this paper we argue that the gap between economic analysis and the rest of human life needs to be explored and bridged. The difference in economic criteria being applied to our life-worlds is often justified by the statement that economic analysis is only attempting to explain a certain part of life – albeit an important one. The danger is that this artificial separation allows distortions to creep in because in the real world issues to do with ‘body politics’, and social reproduction more broadly, permeate economics as well as all other aspects of life. International Political Economy (IPE) has sought to bring together the study of states and the study of markets in a global context. What needs doing now is to extend and transform the scope of IPE by incorporating the study of households and the function of social reproduction centrally in the analysis. In dealing with gaps and dissonances, feminist and gender research provides cross-disciplinary analysis and targeted research tools, addressing, in particular the issues arising from the unequal structural position of women and men in social and economic spheres. This kind of research has also opened up certain concepts, for example, production and the market to political scrutiny and demonstrated how these re-conceptualised elements, together with new concepts like social reproduction and the care economy might be integrated into mainstream political economy both at the theoretical and policy levels (Elson, 1995). In this paper we explore these issues in moredetail. This involves establishing the dimensions of the problem, as demonstrated first by the way in which IPE and other related disciplines continue to marginalize rather than incorporate feminist work, and second by the treatment in mainstream economics of the role of the household. We go on to set the problem in its global context, examining the decline of ‘embedded liberalism’, the rise of the competition state and the implications of this for women. We then look at the debate on these issues in both its structural and post-modern forms and how this throws light on contemporary situations. . Finally, we present an alternative conceptualisation, which gives equal weight to the domestic, market and state spheres and suggest two different ways in which the incorporation of the domestic into the international political economy might be theorised. In all of this, we are interested in solutions, which have resonance in both South and North and help to reveal the structural links between them

"Women's rights, the European Court and Supranational Constitutionalism"

This analysis examines supranational constitutionalism in the European Union. In particular, the study focuses on the role of the European Court of Justice in the creation of women’s rights. I examine the interaction between the Court and member state governments in legal integration, and also the integral role that women’s advocates – both individual activists and groups – have played in the development of EU social provisions. The findings suggest that this litigation dynamic can have the effect of fueling the integration process by creating new rights that may empower social actors and EU organizations, with the ultimate effect of diminishing member state government control over the scope and direction of EU law. This study focuses specifically on gender equality law, yet provides a general framework for examining the case law in subsequent legal domains, with the purpose of providing a more nuanced understanding of supranational governance and constitutionalism

"Gender perspectives in European integration theories"

This [paper] falls into four parts The first surveys empirical and theoretical work on women and gender as this has developed within or been applied to European integration studies; the second assesses why most theorizing on European integration is resistant to this material and what the possibilities are for change. These accounts are followed by two case studies demonstrating the significance of gender analysis in the EU contest. The final section assesses these trends and considers options for the future

Pricing fair trade products to include unpaid labour and empower women – the example of Nicaraguan sesame and coffee cooperatives

<p>The paper discusses an initiative taking place in two cooperatives in Nicaragua. This involves the incorporation of a component for women&rsquo;s unpaid work into the cost structures of Fair Trade contracts for coffee and sesame. The argument is that the unpaid work which is done mainly by women in the household and community represents an important input into production and one which should be valued and remunerated. Its recognition can both empower women and provide a fresh demonstration of the power of the cooperatives and Fair Trade in innovating so as to improve the conditions of disadvantaged people in their supply chains.</p><p>The funding which has now been in place for two years has led to a number of very different projects for women. The involvement has spread not only to women doing unpaid work but also to women in low paid and marginalised jobs within the cooperatives. In particular, this raises the question of to whom the money allocated under this scheme should be paid, and whether it should primarily be used for collective or individual projects. This is an innovative development with the power fundamentally to change gender relations and empower women. It is significant that it is being pioneered in a poor country in the South rather than in the rich North.</p> <hr /><p>Este art&iacute;culo analiza una iniciativa que tiene lugar en dos cooperativas de Nicaragua. Se incorpora al estudio el componente del trabajo no remunerado de las mujeres en el coste de las estructuras del comercio justo con contratos para el caf&eacute; y el s&eacute;samo. El argumento que se esgrime es que el trabajo no remunerado realizado principalmente por mujeres en el &aacute;mbito dom&eacute;stico y de la comunidad representa un aporte importante a la producci&oacute;n, que se debe valorar y remunerar. Su reconocimiento puede investir de poder a las mujeres y demostrar el poder de las cooperativas y el comercio justo para innovar y mejorar las condiciones de personas desfavorecidas en las cadenas de producci&oacute;n y distribuci&oacute;n.</p><p>La financiaci&oacute;n que se ha desarrollado durante dos a&ntilde;os ha dado lugar a diversos proyectos orientados a las mujeres. La participaci&oacute;n se ha extendido no s&oacute;lo a las mujeres que realizan trabajo no remunerado, sino tambi&eacute;n a las mujeres con empleos mal pagados y marginales dentro de las cooperativas. En particular, se cuestiona a qui&eacute;n se debe pagar el dinero generado bajo este esquema, y si debiera utilizar principalmente para desarrollar proyectos individuales o colectivos. Este es un desarrollo innovador que pretende modificar a fondo las relaciones de g&eacute;nero y el poder de las mujeres. Es significativo que se est&aacute; llevando a cabo por vez primera en un pa&iacute;s pobre del sur y no en uno rico del norte.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2034322" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2034322</a></p