The roots of dependency theory

Die Bundestagswahl 2021 wird die Weichen für ein energiepolitisch entscheidendes Zeitfenster stellen – und sollte daher zur Klimawahl werden. Allerdings befindet sich die Politik in einer Ambitions- und Umsetzungskrise, die es dringend zu überwinden gilt. Ein Beitrag von Franziska M. Hoffart und Claudia Kemfert.

Banner and Pastor debunk granted assumptions of the neoclassical theory, such as self-interested human behavior, the necessity of inequality and growth, to pull the threads between the new possible foundations of our society, "prosperity, security and community".

Tejashree Dewoolkar

Caring activities are one central element of feminist economists' analysis – also since in particular unremunerated work is a blind spot in mainstream economics and most other economic paradigms. Those focus on the market sphere: activities are considered as productive and as real labour if they are remunerated and market-intermediated. Goods and services are considered as labour if they create a value which can be traded on the market. Feminist Economics remarks that this perspective creates certain dichotomies and consequent devaluations: unproductive – productive; private – public; unpaid – remunerated OR paid less – well paid; female – male; soft work – hard work; caring – rationality.

In this podcast 'How Economic Theory and Policy Reinforce Racism' William Spriggs, the AFL-CIO’s chief economist, discusses the inadequacies of the pandemic economic rescue package and the influence of mainstream economic theory. He further explores how mainstream economic theory continues to fail everyone, especially Black communities, by disregarding history.