Professor Ailsa McKay, who was known not only for her work as a feminist economist but also her influence on Scottish social and economic policy, died in 2014 at the height of her academic career and impact on public life. Organised around the key themes of Ailsa McKay's work, this collection brings together eminent contributors to argue for the importance of making women's roles and needs more visible in economic and social policies.
Feminist Economics and Public Policy presents a uniquely coherent analysis of key issues including gender mainstreaming, universal childcare provision and universal basic income security, in the context of today's challenging economic and political environments. It draws on international perspectives to look at the economic role of women, presenting readers with interrelated sections on gender budgeting and work and childcare, before concluding with a discussion on Citizens Basic Income and how it could contribute towards a more efficient, equitable social security system. The theoretical, empirical and practice based contributions assembled here present recommendations for more effective public policy, working towards a world in which women's diverse roles are recognized and fully accounted for.
This book is a unique collection, which will be of great relevance to those studying gender and economics, as well as to researchers or policy makers.
'This book is a must-read for any academic, student, civil society activist and policy expert interested not only in reducing gender inequalities but also in improving policy making more generally and in sustainable ways. Using an alternative feminist perspective, in tribute to Prof. Ailsa McKay, the authors innovatively challenge the current mainstream views about the necessity of austerity, about the unaffordable cost of public services and about the utopian vision of a universal basic income. It offers a very welcome international take on these issues, with contributions from leading experts in their fields from many countries.' - Dr Jerome De Henau, Associate Professor in Economics, The Open University, UK.
'This book is indeed remarkable tribute to Professor Ailsa McKay who was a leading expert of gender budgeting across United Kingdom. It is a timely book which encapsulates the concerns and aspirations of the contemporary feminist movement in the context of fiscal austerity and global financial crisis. The feminist movement has to intensify its struggle as the global financial crisis has dealt a severe blow to the social expenditure on gender. Gender budgeting is more relevant than ever before in highlighting that addressing gender biases in macro-economic policy is inherently valuable to society as a whole. In addition, we also need to be more creative with our solutions to the financial cutbacks to social services.' - Dr Keerty Nakray, Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School and Visiting Fellow, Feinstein International Centre, Tufts University, USA.
'This collection provides an evidenced based rationale for gender sensitive macroeconomic policies for inclusive and socially sustainable development. It makes the theoretical and moral arguments and simulates alternative scenarios to demonstrate the effectiveness of investment in social infrastructure, such as child and elder care, as well as physical infrastructure. Anyone interested in evidenced based alternatives to neoliberal austerity and a more inclusive and gender equitable world would benefit from reading this book.' - Diane Perrons, Director, Gender Institute, London School of Economics, UK.
