THE INVISIBLE HEART: Economics and Family Values

Nancy Folbre, THE INVISIBLE HEART: Economics and Family Values

As the "invisible hand" of the free market and the competitive individualism it engenders increasingly dominate public life, contends UMass-Amherst economist and MacArthur fellow Folbre (Who Pays for the Kids?), we risk losing the other necessary component of a healthy society: "the invisible heart," a care system for children, the aged and the infirm. The market does not provide such support, and in the prescribed labor divisions of old, women fulfilled this need for little or no recompense. But now that women have begun to shuck off this enforced role, where, asks Folbre, will care come from? In seeking an answer, she delivers an incisive, informed social critique. Government, she contends, provides a bureaucratic hodgepodge of programs that serves few well and punishes the poor. Regressive taxation assures that some will be able to afford more care than others; unequal school funding guarantees some will become better educated than others. Corporations neglect social responsibilities in favor of the bottom line. In the end, Folbre concludes, we are all responsible for one another, but only radical changes in how we live and work—democratic control of the economy, a dramatic redistribution of wealth and so on—will strengthen the ethic of solidarity and reciprocity that is a prerequisite for such care. Folbre makes an important contribution to the discussion of what our society could be, and her humor and insight elevate her book above mere political diatribe. (Apr. 1)

Forecast:Folbre's progressive/feminist response to "compassionate conservatism" should spark lively debate and sales. This is perfect for the sociology or cultural crit classroom and will also appeal to fans of fellow MacArthur recipient Mike Davis (Prisoners of the American Dream).

DETAILSshareBUY THIS BOOK

close

Details

Reviewed on: 03/05/2001

Genre: Nonfiction

Paperback - 288 pages - 978-1-56584-747-7