1st Edition
Feminist Economics and the World Bank History, theory and policy
The past decade has witnessed a paradigm shift at the World Bank from a focus on structural adjustment to a focus on poverty reduction. As evidenced by the Bank’s 2001 report, Engendering Development: Through Rights, Resource and Voice, an increased attention to gender issues has been an important part of this process.
This book brings together a range of responses from feminist economists and other social researchers on the issues raised in this report. With contributions from highly esteemed scholars such as Eudine Barriteau, Diane Elson, Gale Summerfield, and Zafiris Tzannatos, this anthology critically examines the relationships between gender, growth, development, and the World Bank by:
- developing a history of the World Bank’s perspectives on gender
- empirically evaluating the impacts of the Banks’ policies on three different regions of the world
- exploring the ideological and methodological commitments of the report from a variety of feminist and interdisciplinary social science perspectives
- enquiring into future directions for feminist economics research.
The book shows the importance and challenge of taking gender into account in development theory and policy. Its complex and nuanced analyses of the social relations of gender in a global context will be an important resource for policymakers, activists, and scholars alike.
Contents List Of Illustrations Notes On Contributors Acknowledgements 1. Feminist Economics And The World Bank: An Introduction Part 1: Gender And The World Bank: An Institutional History 2. The World Bank, Development, Adjustment, And Gender Equality 3. An Assessment Of Efforts To Promote Gender Equality At The World Bank 4. Comment Part 2: Policy Evaluations 5. Engendering Development 6. Engendering Agricultural Technology For Africa’s Farmers 7. Taking Gender Differences In Bargaining Power Seriously: Equity, Labor Standards, And Living Wages 8. Comment Part 3: Disciplinary Paradigms/ Development Paradigms 9. Colonizing Knowledge 10. Adjustment With A Woman’s Face 11. Gender And Intrahousehold Decision-Making 12. Engendering Development Or Gender Main-Streaming? 13. Comment Part 4: Explorations: Future Directions Of Feminist Research 14. A Seat At The Table 15. Why Feminist Economists Should Pay More Attention To The Coherence Between The World Bank And The WTO 16. Engendering The German Parliamentary Commission Report On Globalization Of The World Economy 17. Women’s Rights And Engendering Development
Biography
Edith Kuiper is researcher at the Department of Economics & Econometrics at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Drucilla K. Barker is Professor of Economics & Women’s Studies at Hollins University, Virginia, U.S.A.
