Inequality, Development, and Growth

This volume presents a comprehensive analysis of the linkages between inequality, development, and growth from a feminist economics perspective. More specifically, it examines connections between intergroup inequality and macroeconomic outcomes, considering various channels through which gender, growth, and development interact. Using a range of analytical methods, country studies, and levels of aggregation, the contributors argue that inequalities based on gender, race, ethnicity, and class undermine the ability of people to provision and live fully to their capabilities. Authors examine the effect of macroeconomic policies and economic growth on inequalities in material resources and well-being, as well as the effects of inequality on economic growth.

The volume offers specific explanations for how the macroeconomy can hinder the achievement of gender equality and in turn how gender relations in areas like education and wage gaps can have macro-level impacts. Finally, the volume offers a rich array of policy options for promoting gender equality as both an intrinsic goal and a step toward improving well-being and broadly shared development.

This book was first published as a special issue of Feminist Economics.

This book and its previous publication as a special issue of Feminist Economics have been made possible by the generous support of Rice University, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and the United Nation Department of Economics and Social Affairs and Division for the Advancement of Women. All contributions have been subjected to the journal's rigorous peer review process and comply with the journal's editorial policies, as overseen by the editor, Diana Strassmann, and the journal's editorial team.

Gunseli Berik is Professor of Economics at the University of Utah, where she teaches development economics, feminist economics, and political economy of gender, race/ethnicity, and class in the US. Her latest research focuses on international labor standards, the Genuine Progress Indicator, and gendered time use in the household during recessions. She has served as Associate Editor of Feminist Economics and is currently Co-editor of the journal.
Yana van der Meulen Rodgers is Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University. She teaches courses and conducts research on gender and economic development, and she consults for the World Bank and the United Nations. She received her BA from Cornell University and her PhD in economics from Harvard University.
Stephanie Seguino, PhD, is Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont where she teaches macroeconomics, globalization, and stratification economics. Her research examines the relationship between income distribution and macroeconomic outcomes. Her latest research explores the distributional effects of contractionary monetary policy by race and gender. She has served as Associate Editor of Feminist Economics and President of the International Association for Feminist Economics and has consulted for the United Nations and the World Bank.