The Political Economy of Care. In Reference Module in Social Sciences.
Llavaneras Blanco, M. (2026). The Political Economy of Care. In Reference Module in Social Sciences. Elsevier.
Care is essential for the sustainability of life. The Political Economy of Care refers to the flows of labor, relations and resources that produce care and that are shaped by intersectionalities. The chapter traces the contributions of feminist political economy, many of which evolved from the question of recognizing the value of care work and have expanded into a larger set of issues that go from reduction, redistribution, to reward and representation. Drawing on the Care Diamond framework, the chapter examines the roles of households, states, markets, and communities in care provision and illustrating them with specific examples from the Global South and the Global North. Finally, the chapter analyzes care as both a site of control and violence and of emancipation and transformation. Through examples ranging from the denial of care in war contexts, to domestic workers’ organizing, and community-based and territorial care initiatives, care is a site of politics.