Nancy Folbre

Nancy Folbre. She is an American economist and professor emerita renowned for her pioneering work in feminist economics and the analysis of unpaid care work. Her research critically examines the intersections of gender, family, and capitalism, challenging traditional economic paradigms. Folbre's influential career has been centered at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she contributed to the development of heterodox economics.

● Biography

Born on July 19, 1952, in the United States, her intellectual development was shaped by the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. She earned her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin, where her dissertation focused on the political economy of the family. Early influences included the works of Karl Marx and feminist theorists like Michele Barrett, guiding her toward a critical analysis of patriarchy within economic systems. Her personal and professional trajectory has been deeply intertwined with advocacy for gender equality and social justice.

● Academic Career

Folbre spent the majority of her academic career as a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a leading center for heterodox economics. She was a key faculty member within the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the university, contributing to its reputation for critical economic analysis. Her teaching and mentorship influenced a generation of scholars in fields like feminist economics and social policy. She has also been a visiting scholar at institutions including the Russell Sage Foundation and the Center for Popular Economics.

● Research and Publications

Her research agenda has fundamentally centered on making invisible labor visible, particularly the unpaid care work performed predominantly by women in households. In seminal works like *The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values*, she argues for the economic valuation of caregiving, challenging the narrow metrics of the Gross Domestic Product. She has extensively analyzed the welfare state, social reproduction, and the political economy of time, contributing to debates on income inequality and social security. Her scholarship often engages with and critiques mainstream institutions like the International Monetary Fund and neoclassical economic theory.

● Awards and Honors

In recognition of her transformative contributions, she was awarded the prestigious Leontief Prize in 2004 by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University. She has been a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Her work has been supported by grants from the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. She is also an elected member of the International Association for Feminist Economics, honoring her foundational role in the field.

● Selected Works

* *The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values* (2001) – A foundational text arguing for the economic importance of care and emotion. * *Valuing Children: Rethinking the Economics of the Family* (2008) – Analyzes the costs and social value of raising children. * *Greed, Lust & Gender: A History of Economic Ideas* (2009) – Examines the historical interplay between economic thought and constructions of gender. * *For Love and Money: Care Provision in the United States* (2012) – A comprehensive study of the care economy and its policy implications. * Co-edited volumes such as *Women's Work in the World Economy* and *Family Time: The Social Organization of Care*.

Category:American economists Category:Feminist economists Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty Category:1952 births Category:Living people