Nancy Folbre

The Lazy Father Saga

19 June 2019

The lazy father is enshrined in popular culture. Google up the term and there he is: Homer Simpson snoring on the couch. Unfair caricature, especially on Fathers’ Day!

Cut Child Poverty by Half

8 March 2019

The United Kingdom did it between 1999 and 2008. The Canadian government implemented a plan to do it in 2016. The U.S. almost did it between 1967 and 2016: cut the incidence of child poverty by half.

The Childcare Conundrum

7 March 2019

The Warren proposal gets good marks from most progressive policy wonks. It seems edgy but possible. If implemented, would almost certainly have positive effects. So what’s not to like?

Love Among the Synths

11 February 2019

I just started watching Humans, a British television series distributed by AMC in the U.S. and Real Humans, the Swedish series on which it is approximately based. Both start out on the same theme, the use of intelligent (and, in some cases, fully conscious and emotionally adept) androids to help provide family care.

The Blood Business

11 February 2019

Because many countries don’t allow the purchase of human blood for plasma extraction, U.S. businesses find a ready market.

How I Learned to Love Macro

30 January 2019

Economies cannot be reduced to the production of commodities by means of commodities. They should be understood, more broadly, as the production of people by means of people.

How to Make Nice

20 January 2019

I had every reason to obey this sign, posted in the cafe where I sought refuge while my car underwent safety-recall repairs. I did not want to go away.

The Child Care Payoff

20 January 2019

The history of economic research demonstrating the payoff to public investments in early childhood education in the U.S. is rich and deep, even if it hasn’t (yet) mobilized support for a federal initiative in the U.S.

Intersecting, Overlapping Hierarchies

20 January 2019

Playing around with visual images to convey the concept of intersecting

Professional Climate Change

28 December 2018

Things have been heating up, gender-wise, in the economics profession.

Medicare for All: Do the Numbers!

12 December 2018

I’m increasingly convinced that we need to develop a larger care agenda, and health care is obviously central

Care Work, Animated

12 December 2018

Invited by Professor Smita Ramnarain, once a student of mine here at UMass, I agreed to participate in an Honors Colloquium at the University of Rhode Island last October.