Harvesting Feminist Knowledge for Public Policy: Rebuilding Progress

This volume brings together 14 essays by feminist thinkers from different parts of the world, reflecting on problems of current patterns of development and arguing for political, economic, and social changes to promote equality and sustainability.

The essays are written in the context of the “triple crises” of food, fuel, and finance, and the underlying deep-seated problems of growing inequality, squeeze on time to provide unpaid care to family and friends, and environmentally unsustainable patterns of economic growth.

The authors argue that the very approach being taken to understand and measure progress, and plan for and evaluate development, needs rethinking in ways that draw on the experiences and knowledge of women. These influential feminist thinkers, activists, and academics have drawn upon their vast experience to identify new understandings, emerging issues and an asset of recommendations that help address the key issues of today.

All the essays, in diverse ways, offer proposals for alternative strategies to address the limitations and contradictions of currently dominant ideas and practices in development, and move towards the creation of a socially just and egalitarian world.

The editors

Devaki Jain is the Founder-Director of the Institute of Social Studies Trust, New Delhi, India.

Diane Elson is Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Essex, UK.