Feminist Institutionalism and Neoliberalism

Abstract

Neoliberalism is an ideology that requires the public/private split in human affairs to exist and to be perceived as normal and natural. This paper begins by looking at the feminist critique of dualisms, as developed by the feminist institutional economist Ann Jennings and feminist economists Paula England and Julie Nelson and then applies their critique of the public/private dualisms to neoliberal conceptions of agency and care. The paper argues that once dualism is exposed as an incorrect representation of existential reality, it becomes impossible to use for justifying the characterization of behavior, invidious distinctions, and the social valuations of human behavior it supports, thereby making neoliberal assumptions about normal behavior that support its policy prescriptions untenable. Finally, it explores the consequences of this critique of neoliberalism on the conceptualization of agency and the economics of care. HIGHLIGHTS Feminist economists and original institutionalists share aspects of their inquiry. Both approaches understand economics as the study of social provisioning. The public/private dualism is necessary to sustain neoliberal ideology. Discrediting the public/private dualism leads to rejecting neoliberal agency. Caring is inconsistent with neoliberal ideology.