IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/revepe/v1y2020i1d10.1007_s43253-020-00001-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gender and the future of macroeconomics: an evolutionary approach

Author

Listed:
  • Sheila Dow

    (University of Stirling
    University of Victoria)

Abstract

Gender lends itself well to an evolutionary analysis which focuses on non-equilibrium change and transformation for individuals within society. Decomposition by such an important category as gender helps us understand the economy at the macro level, and design macroeconomic policy, better. It also provides the foundation for advocating equal gender rights and outcomes. But, where gendered policy issues arise in mainstream macroeconomics (income maldistribution, labour market composition, etc.), the subject matter is narrowed by its microfoundations, by focusing on GDP growth and on suboptimal outcomes being explained by market imperfections. An approach which takes gender seriously requires the different epistemology which arises from feminism: it does not rely on dualistic categorisations, but builds on the idea of situated knowledge, which in turn requires a pluralist methodology and an acceptance of fundamental uncertainty. Such a methodology allows for emergent identity, for the cognitive roles of emotion and social convention, and for attention to power other than market power. Reflecting on how limited is the scope for mainstream macroeconomics to address gender, and what is required of a useful alternative, a political economy approach provides a clear focus for a more general discussion of the future of macroeconomics from an evolutionary perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Sheila Dow, 2020. "Gender and the future of macroeconomics: an evolutionary approach," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 55-66, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:revepe:v:1:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s43253-020-00001-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s43253-020-00001-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43253-020-00001-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43253-020-00001-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Julie A. Nelson, 2016. "Not-So-Strong Evidence for Gender Differences in Risk Taking," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 114-142, April.
    2. Irene van Staveren, 2010. "Post-Keynesianism meets feminist economics," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 34(6), pages 1123-1144.
    3. David F Hendry & John N J Muellbauer, 2018. "The future of macroeconomics: macro theory and models at the Bank of England," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 34(1-2), pages 287-328.
    4. Susan Himmelweit, 2007. "The prospects for caring: economic theory and policy analysis," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 31(4), pages 581-599, July.
    5. Joseph E Stiglitz, 2018. "Where modern macroeconomics went wrong," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 34(1-2), pages 70-106.
    6. John Foster, 2021. "The US consumption function: a new perspective," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 773-798, July.
    7. Onaran, Özlem, 2015. "The role of gender equality in an equality-led sustainable development strategy," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 14077, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    8. McCloskey, Donald N, 1983. "The Rhetoric of Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 21(2), pages 481-517, June.
    9. Elissa Braunstein & Irene van Staveren & Daniele Tavani, 2011. "Embedding Care and Unpaid Work in Macroeconomic Modeling: A Structuralist Approach," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(4), pages 5-31, October.
    10. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1, May.
    11. Stephanie Seguino, 2010. "Gender, Distribution, and Balance of Payments Constrained Growth in Developing Countries," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 373-404.
    12. Sheila C. Dow, 2011. "Cognition, market sentiment and financial instability," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 35(2), pages 233-249.
    13. Irene van Staveren, 2017. "Beyond stimulus versus austerity: pluralist capacity building in macroeconomics," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 14(2), pages 267-281, September.
    14. Özlem Onaran & Cem Oyvat & Eurydice Fotopoulou, 2022. "Gendering Macroeconomic Analysis and Development Policy: A Theoretical Model," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 23-55, July.
    15. John Foster, 2011. "Evolutionary macroeconomics: a research agenda," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 5-28, February.
    16. James K. Galbraith, 2019. "A global macroeconomics – yes, macroeconomics, dammit – of inequality and income distribution," Review of Keynesian Economics, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 7(1), pages 1-5, January.
    17. J. E. King, 2012. "The Microfoundations Delusion," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14065.
    18. Nava Ashraf & Colin F. Camerer & George Loewenstein, 2005. "Adam Smith, Behavioral Economist," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 19(3), pages 131-145, Summer.
    19. Sheila Dow & Jesper Jespersen & Geoff Tily (ed.), 2018. "Money, Method and Contemporary Post-Keynesian Economics," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 17805.
    20. Irene van Staveren, 2014. "The Lehman Sisters hypothesis," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 38(5), pages 995-1014.
    21. John Foster, 2017. "Prior Commitment and Uncertainty in Complex Economic Systems: Reinstating History in the Core of Economic Analysis," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 64(4), pages 392-418, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Izaskun Zuazu, 2024. "Reviewing feminist macroeconomics for the twenty-first century," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 271-299, September.
    2. Zuazu-Bermejo, Izaskun, 2024. "Reviewing feminist macroeconomics for the XXI century," ifso working paper series 30, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    3. Phillip Anthony O’Hara, 2021. "Objectives of the Review of Evolutionary Political Economy’s ‘Manifesto’ and editorial proposals on world problems, complex systems, historico-institutional and corruption issues," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 359-387, July.
    4. Javier Pérez-Jara, 2024. "The ontology of coevolution beyond economic systems," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 425-444, October.
    5. Melissa Langworthy, 2024. "‘Power of economics without power in economics’: examinations of gender/power in the neoliberal economic order," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 351-369, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zuazu-Bermejo, Izaskun, 2024. "Reviewing feminist macroeconomics for the XXI century," ifso working paper series 30, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    2. Izaskun Zuazu, 2024. "Reviewing feminist macroeconomics for the twenty-first century," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 5(2), pages 271-299, September.
    3. Eckhard Hein, 2020. "Gender Issues in Kaleckian Distribution and Growth Models: On the Macroeconomics of the Gender Wage Gap," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 640-664, October.
    4. Oyvat, Cem & Onaran, Özlem, 2022. "The effects of social infrastructure and gender equality on output and employment: The case of South Korea," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    5. Aashima Sinha, 2023. "The Road to Gender-Equitable Growth: A State-level Analysis of Social Reproduction in the U.S," Working Paper Series, Department of Economics, University of Utah 2023_03, University of Utah, Department of Economics.
    6. John Komlos, 2021. "Macroeconomic Inequality from Reagan to Trump. Market Power, Wage Repression, Asset Price Inflation, and Industrial Decline," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 97(318), pages 450-453, September.
    7. Mark Setterfield, 2024. "Integrating the Social Reproduction of Labour into Macroeconomic Theory," Working Papers 2405, New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.
    8. Bogliacino, Francesco & Codagnone, Cristiano, 2021. "Microfoundations, behaviour, and evolution: Evidence from experiments," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 372-385.
    9. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2018_022 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Ramzi Mabsout, 2018. "The Backward Induction Controversy as a Metaphorical Problem," Economic Thought, World Economics Association, vol. 7(1), pages 24-49, March.
    11. George Liagouras, 2017. "The challenge of Evo-Devo: implications for evolutionary economists," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 795-823, September.
    12. Nancy Folbre & James Heintz, 2017. "Investment, consumption, or public good? Unpaid work and intra-family transfers in the macro-economy," EKONOMIAZ. Revista vasca de Economía, Gobierno Vasco / Eusko Jaurlaritza / Basque Government, vol. 91(01), pages 100-121.
    13. George Judge, 2018. "Micro-Macro Connected Stochastic Dynamic Economic Behavior Systems," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Manuel Santos Silva & Stephan Klasen, 2021. "Gender inequality as a barrier to economic growth: a review of the theoretical literature," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 581-614, September.
    15. Stephanie Seguino, 2017. "Engendering Macroeconomic Theory and Policy," World Bank Publications - Reports 28951, The World Bank Group.
    16. Brendan Markey‐Towler, 2019. "The New Microeconomics: A Psychological, Institutional, and Evolutionary Paradigm with Neoclassical Economics as a Special Case," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 78(1), pages 95-135, January.
    17. Malcolm Sawyer, 2020. "The past, present and future of evolutionary macroeconomics," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 37-54, May.
    18. Dia, Enzo & Bartolomeo, Giovanni Di, 2019. "Macroeconomics, rationality, and institutions," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 46-49.
    19. Eckhard Hein, 2017. "Post-Keynesian macroeconomics since the mid 1990s: main developments," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 14(2), pages 131-172, September.
    20. Jesper Lindé, 2018. "DSGE models: still useful in policy analysis?," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 34(1-2), pages 269-286.
    21. Judge, George, 2023. "Information Recovery in Complex Economic Systems," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt4jj70102, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Evolution; Epistemology;
    All these keywords.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:revepe:v:1:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s43253-020-00001-8. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.