On International Women’s Day Rosalind Eyben reflects on the Institute of Development Studies’ progress in raising the profile of care in development. Feminist scholar-activists at IDS have been working with global and national networks as part of a collective effort to have care recognised and integrated into development policies and programmes. International Women’s Day is a good moment to take stock of how they are doing.
The agenda for change is based on an alternative vision – one in which the economy is shaped for people rather than people for the economy. …
The contents reflect discussions from a Pathways workshop held in May 2008 with participation also from Diane Elson, James Heinz, Sue Himmelweit, Sue Holloway, Ruth Pearson and Janet Veitch. In 2006 the World Bank coined a catchy slogan ‘Gender equality is smart economics’. Said the World Bank’s President in June 2008, “The empowerment of women is smart economics … studies show that investments in women yield large social and economic returns”. Many international aid ministries and United Nations organisations are adopting the World Bank’s argument. …