The Invisible Heart by Nancy Folbre

The Invisible Heart by Nancy Folbre

There has been much talk about family values in recent years, but little examination of the economic forces that are exploding family life and limiting the caregiving that families can provide. As Folbre points out in her provocative and insightful new book, every society must confront the problem of balancing self-interested pursuits with care for others--including children, the elderly, and the infirm. Historically, most societies enjoyed an increased supply of care by maintaining strict limits on women's freedom. But as these limits happily and inevitably give way, there are many consequences for those who still need care.

Using the image of the invisible heart to evoke the forces of compassion that must temper the forces of self-interest, Folbre argues that if we don't establish a new set of rules defining our mutual responsibilities for caregiving, the penalties suffered by the needy--our very families--will increase. Intensified economic competition may drive altruism and families out of business.

A leading feminist economist, Nancy Folbre writes in a lively, personal style--Molly Ivins cheek-to-cheek with John Kenneth Galbraith--and develops a distinctive approach to the economics of care. Unlike others who praise family values, Folbre acknowledges the complicated relationship between women and altruism. Her book offers new interpretations of such policy issues as welfare reform, school finance, and progressive taxation, and it confronts the challenges of globalization, outlining strategies for developing an economic system that rewards both individual achievement and care for others.

Professor of Economics Nancy Folbre of the University of Massachusetts Amherst has received international acclaim for her work on the intersection of feminist philosophy and political economy. Her empirical work examines the amount and worth of time spent caring for dependents. She recently co-edited Family Time: The Social Organization of Caring (Routledge, 2004) and authored Valuing Children: Rethinking the Economics of the Family (Harvard University Press, 2008). She is the author of several general-interest publications, including The Invisible Heart: Economics and Family Values (New Press, 2001) and four editions of the famous Field Guide to the United States. She is a Charlotte Perkins Gilman Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, a past president of the International Society for Feminist Economics, and an Associate Editor of the journal Feminist Economics. She received a five-year scholarship from the MacArthur Foundation.