Pipes, profits and peace: toward a feminist political economy of gas during war

Abstract

Neoliberal reforms instituted at the behest of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) during conflict are both unchallenged and commonplace. In Ukraine, the IFIs have prescribed radical economic restructuring amid the war in Donbas. One of the most notable reform programs has been the liberalization of the gas market. This article offers a critical, global feminist political economy framework that seeks to understand the gendered impact of radical energy liberalization on Ukrainians during the war in Donbas. The aim of this article is to highlight the fundamentally gendered aspects of such economic restructuring and demonstrate how it has catalyzed further insecurity, inequality, and instability during war. The article argues that more critical, feminist political economy research is needed to understand and critique both economic reforms during war and orthodox energy policy.