About the seminar
The European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research is pleased to welcome Professor Nancy Folbre as the speaker in its International Seminar Series.
In this seminar, Professor Folbre will present a conceptual framework for understanding intergenerational and inter-gender transfers of both time and money, exploring how contemporary institutional arrangements shape the distribution of care in affluent societies. Drawing on decades of research in the political economy of care, the seminar will examine the relationships between private and public transfers beyond the market and discuss the broader social and economic implications of care provision.
The presentation will be followed by an interactive discussion, offering participants the opportunity to engage directly with the speaker.
Abstract
This presentation offers a framework for conceptualizing intergenerational and inter-gender transfers of both time and money, emphasizing the distributional tensions built into current institutional arrangements in affluent economies. While it references descriptive findings from empirical research, including the National Transfer Accounts, it primarily focuses on the question of what governs the relative size of private and public transfers outside the market.
Drawing on feminist research on the political economy of patriarchal systems, Professor Folbre argues that collective bargaining over the social institutions governing care provision is as consequential as bargaining over the distribution of surplus between wages and profits. Conflicts of interest based on age and gender overlap with those based on class and citizenship, providing important insights into the persistence of below-replacement fertility in many high-income countries.
About the speaker
Professor Nancy Folbre (https://carethink.org/) is Professor Emerita of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and one of the world's leading feminist economists and an internationally recognised authority on the economics of care, family policy, unpaid work and gender inequality. Her research examines the value of care work, the distribution of caregiving responsibilities and the institutional arrangements that shape social reproduction and economic well-being. She has authored numerous influential books, including the latest one, Making Care Work: Why Our Economy Should Put People First, and articles that have significantly advanced the fields of feminist economics and social policy.
About the International Seminar Series
The European Centre's International Seminar Series brings together distinguished researchers and experts from around the world to present cutting-edge research on social welfare and social policy. The seminars provide a forum for knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary dialogue and discussion of emerging challenges in health, care, social protection, employment and labour mobility.
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