Economic Agency Research Articles

Empowering Women through Sericulture: Transforming Defective Cocoons into Opportunities

In South Asia, particularly India, women face significant challenges stemming from gender discrimination, poverty, and caste-based inequalities. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have emerged as a pivotal approach to women's empowerment, promoting both economic independence and social awareness. This review paper explores the role of sericulture, specifically the crafting of handicrafts from silk cocoons, as a means of enhancing women's livelihoods in rural areas. By utilizing cut and pierced cocoons, artisans can create a diverse array of decorative and functional products, contributing to both personal income and community development. This innovative use of by- products in handicrafts not only fosters creativity but also promotes self-employment, allowing marginalized women to gain economic agency. Moreover, engaging in cocoon crafting serves as a therapeutic activity, improving mental well-being and providing a sense of purpose. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating bio-crafts into the broader sericulture industry. This integration not only enhances sustainability by making use of waste materials but also provides a reliable income stream for women and their families. The potential for value addition through skilled craftsmanship transforms what would otherwise be discarded into valuable products, contributing to the local economy. Ultimately, these initiatives improve women's economic status and contribute to their social empowerment, offering a multifaceted solution to entrenched gender inequalities in South Asia. By equipping women with skills and resources, fostering community support, and promoting environmentally sustainable practices, the crafting of silk cocoon handicrafts exemplifies a holistic approach to addressing the challenges faced by women in rural areas. Through this innovative model, women can achieve greater independence, enhance their social standing, and participate actively in their communities, paving the way for a more equitable and empowered society.

The surveillance, gamification and datafication of children’s finance: a feature and tagline analysis of child finance apps

Purpose Children’s finances are increasingly digitised through the emergence and development of a range of finance applications, or apps, for managing chores, saving and spending. This paper aims to offer a preliminary scoping study of these child finance apps in the nascent consumer research area of children’s FinTech. Design/methodology/approach This paper undertakes a qualitative analysis of the design features and marketing taglines of child finance apps to explore their role in the digitisation of children’s financial literacy, consumer socialisation and economic agency. Findings The present analysis reveals five key design functions of child finance apps: chore management; child savings; payment and spending systems; parental control features; and banking and finance features. Furthermore, three key child consumer themes emerge from the analysis of these child finance apps: gamification of child household labour; surveillance of children’s consumer participation; and datafication of children’s financial lives. Originality/value To date, there is little research into the increasingly popular use of child chore, consumption and financial management apps, and thus a research gap or problem is that we do not yet have sufficient understanding of how finance apps operate through their design and marketing to influence the financial conditions of contemporary childhoods. This study is significant in bringing theories of surveillance, gamification and datafication from digital platform studies to the fields of childhood studies, children’s consumer research and child FinTech studies. The findings suggest that child finance apps use gamification features to encourage children’s financial learning, surveillance features to enable parenting care in children’s financial development and datafication to exploit children’s financial data within the finance industry. This study is clearly limited to the app environment, and so future work should investigate the use and perceptions of these apps in more detail using more situated social research methods with families and children.

“Not in the Objective Function”: Gender Equality Considerations in the work of Women Government Economists in Israel

This article examines the role of gender equality considerations in economic policy from the perspective of women economists in central economic agencies in government service in Israel. It asks whether and under what circumstances women economists promote policies aiming to reduce gender inequality or benefit women. Using qualitative research tools, the study reveals that women economists view the incorporation of gender equality into economic policy as insignificant and marginal. Gender equality is perceived as a narrow issue, specific and sectoral, while the core issues dealt with by economists are considered broad and universal. The findings are consistent with previous research claiming that placing women in influential positions does not ensure representation of gendered interests, as gender plays a secondary role to training, education, and institutional context. The findings indicate that the claim of neutrality in diverse aspects of economics limits women economists’ activity and thwarts unfettered thinking on economic policy. HIGHLIGHTS In Israel, gender plays a marginal role in women economists’ policymaking. Spaces for training and learning in economics remain fundamentally gender biased. Neutrality perception limits critical feminist thinking on economic policy. Including feminist perspectives in economic education is vital.

Microcredit, gender norms, and women’s experiences of economic coercion and agency in Matlab, Bangladesh

Microfinance organizations in Bangladesh often direct microloans to women, due in part to women’s high repayment rates. Questions remain about how microfinance institutions are addressing – or enabling – economic coercion of women taking out loans. In-depth interviews with 25 men and 24 women examined how the structure of microcredit programs, and men’s reactions to such structures, enabled or challenged women’s economic agency. We found that loan access and control was gendered, that loans were socially disruptive and engendered shame among men and women, and that this social disruption and shame was managed through practices of concealment. Interviews revealed that inequitable gender structures governing microloan administration are impeding gender transformative experiences with microloans. The results of this study illustrate the importance of considering structural and normative elements of gender systems to understand women’s experiences of economic agency and coercion around microloans.

Fuel Smuggling in the West Bank (2018–2021): Palestinian Economic Agency under the Israeli System of Spatial Control

This article critically re-examines the narrative that the Israeli system of spatial control has an exclusive negative impact on the West Bank economy. It focuses on the burgeoning fuel smuggling industry, which grew to constitute nearly one-third of the total consumed fuel in the West Bank by 2018. The article posits that the impacts of Israeli control on West Bank-Israeli economic relations involve an interplay between structural top-down imposition and Palestinian agency exerted from below. Drawing from documentary evidence and semi-structured interviews conducted with smugglers, Israeli, and Palestinian policymakers, the research reveals a paradox, finding its theoretical explanation in borderland studies. The barriers and fragmentation meant to oppress Palestinians create opportunities for new Palestinian economic beneficiaries. The article traces the emergence of smuggling networks that expand Palestinian-Israeli connections and cooperation. It concludes considering how the structure-agency interplay, which characterizes the Israeli colonial structure, affects the study of Palestinian political economy under Israeli occupation. This includes the influence of smuggling on supply, demand, pricing, and power hierarchies within the West Bank’s fuel sector.

Understanding the impact of sustainable agricultural interventions on women's economic and social well-being, empowerment and gender equity.

Abstract Background: The world will need to feed a population of nearly nine billion by 2050 (Godfray, 2010). To do so agricultural systems will have to contend to with risks to soil and water resources and the impacts of climate change, including changing weather patterns, an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and increased pest and disease-related threats. These risks threaten the livelihoods of nearly 475 million smallholder farmers in the global south and pose a significant threat to the world's food and nutritional security (IPCC, 2022). Sustainable agricultural technologies and practices offer an innovative and holistic way of meeting food and nutrition needs of current and future generations while ensuring profitability, and environmental and social sustainability (Güven, 2023). Sustainable agriculture practices and technologies seek to transform and reorient agricultural systems to support food security while preserving natural capital including soil, water, and biodiversity, increase resilience to the impacts of climate change, and promote health, and social and economic equity (Brodt et al., 2011) By systematically integrating goals of sustainability along with economic profitability into the planning and development of agricultural systems, sustainable agriculture technology and practices aims to increase agricultural productivity, mitigate negative environmental impacts of agriculture while furthering social objectives. Women play a critical role in agricultural and food systems and often have higher work and time burdens and are less productive due to limited access to social and economic resources. The 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems report by FAO estimates that if female farmers had the same access to productive resources as men, their productivity could increase by up to 30 per cent, reducing the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17 per cent. Recognizing existing gender inequalities and the vulnerability of women in agricultural systems is one of the goals of sustainable agriculture furthering goals of gender equity and women's empowerment. Studies show that sustainable agriculture technologies and practices have the potential to reshape gender dynamics, challenging existing gender norms by providing social and economic agency and empowerment. However, this depends on how particular needs, priorities, and realities of women are recognized and adequately addressed in the design and application of these technologies. Presently, there is limited evidence systematically assessing the appropriateness, accessibility and outcomes of sustainable agricultural technologies and practices for women and girls, as well as their effectiveness in addressing longer-term gender-equity goals. Evidence syntheses in this domain remains focused on gendered approaches within interventions or programs targeting women. We seek to broaden the perspective by focusing on how different sustainable agriculture technologies affect women's well-being, empowerment and gender equity even when women specifically are not targeted.

From contributors to boundary spanners: Evolving roles of government agencies in China’s innovation policy network (1980–2019)

The complexity of innovation governance has led to increasing participation of relevant government agencies and a clear division of their roles within policy networks, where they function not only as contributors but also as boundary spanners. This study investigates the evolving roles of government agencies as contributors and boundary spanners (i.e., brokers) within the innovation policy network. We perform a social network analysis (SNA) of China's innovation policy network, consisting of 536 policy documents formulated and co-sponsored by central government agencies between 1980 and 2019. Our findings reveal several key insights: First, since 1980, there has been a gradual increase in the number and share of agencies acting as brokers, with most agencies becoming contributors. Second, in considering boundary spanners, China's innovation policy network has mainly consisted of a small number of key players and a large number of supporters, with dedicators and harmonizers being in minority. Finanlly, science and technology (S&T) agencies' primary brokerage roles have undergone significant changes, shifting from solely representatives and liaisons to now encompassing the roles of liaisons, representatives, and consultants; economic agencies have transitioned from being merely representatives and liaisons to primarily serving as liaisons, consultants, and representatives. The primary brokerage roles of both S&T agencies and economic agencies have changed from representatives to liaisons, signaling a shift in their broker function from connecting members both inside and outside the group to facilitating interactions with members of outside groups.

Assessing association of household diet diversity with mother's time use on productive and reproductive activities: a case for gender sensitive social safety nets.

In South Asia, while women make substantial economic contributions through their participation in agricultural sector, these contributions are undercounted as most of their work is underpaid or unpaid. This paper examines how mothers allocate their time to productive and reproductive activities and its association with a household's ability to achieve high household diet diversity score. The analysis uses data on household consumption and expenditure including food during the kharif (June to October) season (seeds are sown) and a modular time-use survey. Two districts of rural Bihar, India. Mothers with children less than 5 years of age and supported by the head of the household from 2026 households. The estimates indicate that the high household diet diversity (High HDDS ≥ 10) is associated with greater time spent in reproductive activities by all women (OR = 1·12, 95 % CI: 1·06, 1·18). However, with increasing time spent in productive activities by the women the odds of achieving 'High HDDS' reduced (OR = 0·83, 95 % CI: 0·77, 0·89) in adjusted logistic regression analysis. The findings highlight propensity to achieve 'High HDDS' in Bihar increased with mothers allocating time towards reproductive activities, while it had an opposing effect with mothers allocating time on productive activities. Our study highlights that the policies that encourage women's participation in agriculture or livestock should acknowledge the unpaid nature of some of the productive activities and design programs to improve economic agency of women to actuate the true potential of agriculture-nutrition pathways.

Internal control of settlements with personnel on remuneration in the management system of organizations

The main aim of the study is the practical aspects of internal control of compliance with labor legislation and accounting of payroll and to improve the methodological support of control procedures. For perfection of methodical support of internal control of accounting of calculations with the personnel on a labor payment, the working documents of internal control which allow to: control timeliness and efficiency of fulfillment of control procedures, define weaknesses in the system of accounting of calculations with the personnel on a labor payment and establish directions of inspection that demand carrying out of additional control procedures; operatively reveal violations in the documentary registration of movement of the personnel and formulate the following documents. The suggested working documents of internal control allow to the outcomes of control methods and deliver the information to the management of an economic agency for making managerial decisions.

Nature and Dynamics of Stock Market: A Bibliometric Analysis of its Development and Operations as an Economic Agency

This study methodically examines the pivotal role of stock markets in global economies, emphasizing their evolution from theoretical concepts to essential economic infrastructure. It employs advanced bibliometric tools and analysis, including co-authorship, citation, bibliographic coupling, and visual mapping techniques using VosViewer, to explore into stock market research from 1990 to 2023. The findings offer unprecedented insights into the academic and practical fields of stock market research. These analyses explore detailed collaboration networks, influential research contributions, and thematic clusters, highlighting the dynamic interplay between stock market developments and economic growth. This study documented the multifaceted nature of stock market development, with particular emphasis on four factors: supply, demand, institutions, and economic policies. The findings also emphasize that stock market development is a dynamic and long-term process, intricately linked to the broader development of a financial system. Although stock markets are primarily a private sector endeavor, the government's supporting role is pivotal for their success. The integration of this framework not only enriches our understanding of stock market dynamics but also charts the course for future research directions in the field, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and global research collaborations in advancing our understanding of financial systems.

<em>Three Wedding Journeys, Three Financial Records: Logistics, Court, Princess’s Agency</em>

Through a close reading of account books related to the three mid-sixteenth-century wedding journeys—of Sophie of Jagiellon (1522–1575), Elizabeth of Habsburg (1554–1592), and Anne of Habsburg (1549–1580)—this study examines the overall financing of the bridal transfer, including paying the retinue, provisions, and logistical issues, while also investigating the economic agency of the princely brides in early modern Europe. In the first part, the article offers a brief typology of financial arrangements between the matrimonial parties and then discusses third-party involvement, in the form of the free-of-cost hosting of the princesses. Moving into the second part, the study analyses the salaries of the entourage members and sheds light on travel-related details, such as food or navigation. Based on the financial records, the last part scrutinises the princesses’ activity, arguing that these women were active agents, entering into a dialogue with people they encountered. This was expressed in remuneration for overnight stays, services, gifts, or alms for the poor or new-born children.

The Impact of Microfinance on Women Borrowers’ Livelihoods: A Case Study of BRAC Kabarole District, Western Uganda

This study examined the experiences of poor women borrowers involved in BRAC microfinance initiatives in Kabarole District. Drawing upon empowerment theory, a cross-sectional study design was employed, with data collection conducted through interviews, observation and key informant interviews. Information was obtained from women borrowers who were selected through convenient sampling whereas interview guides were used to obtain key information from four group leaders and BRAC officials who were purposively selected. The study discovered that although, BRAC loans largely benefited women borrowers with multiple income sources, the expansion of accessibility to loans for women in far flung districts like Kabarole is economically empowering to women borrowers and increases women’s economic agency and productivity by providing highly needed capita for expansion. Access to BRAC credit facility has also improved women’s array of choices, improved their participation in decision-making, expanded their businesses and increased their appetite for individual loans which were previously seen as a masculine attribute. However, several challenges impeded the successful utilization of BRAC microfinance services by women. These included negative group dynamics, short repayment periods, and increased workloads for women, which reduced productivity. Additionally, some women misallocated their loans to address household needs, such as children's school fees and house renovations. In light of these findings, it is recommended that BRAC bank evaluates these challenges and develops mitigation strategies to fully empower women.

Economic agency of women in Islamic economic philosophy: going beyond Economic Man and Islamic Man

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a gender-sensitive analysis of economic agency in Islamic economic philosophy.Design/methodology/approachA critical review of classical ethics literature and the concept of khilafah is undertaken and discussed in conjunction with the current understanding of homo Islamicus.FindingsBuilding on the principles of khilafah, the concept of homo Islamicus is a pious stand-in for the flawed homo economicus. Among its flaws is the complete absence of a discussion of women as economic agents. To remedy this the discipline must acknowledge explicitly the denial of women and gender from the discussion of moral agency and include gender as a category of analysis for economic agency. This is only possible by: (1) introducing a non-patriarchal reading of khilafah as the model of agency and (2) by operationalising taqwa as the cardinal virtue of the economic agent instead of neoliberal rationality.Research limitations/implicationsIf Islamic economic philosophy is to contend as an alternative mode of economics, it must consider gender and class dimensions in its micro-foundation discussion, economic agency is one of them.Originality/valueThis study reveals the patriarchal readings that are part of the foundation of the concept of the economic agent in Islamic economics, problematising it and providing a gender-sensitive concept of economic agency.

Why is Macroeconomics Neglected in Equity and Inclusion Strategies for Sustainable Development? An Exploration of Four Systemic Barriers

ABSTRACT The literatures on Macroeconomics and Human development and capabilities have been described as constituting “two different worlds” that never intersect despite the importance of macroeconomics for human development (Nayyar [2012]. “Macroeconomics and Human Development.” Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 13 (1): 7–30.). This paper explores the barriers that keep the two worlds apart in policy making. It considers the case of national strategies for one is implementing UN Agenda 2030 (better known as the SDGs) with a commitment to equity and inclusion; the majority of which rely on social protection and neglect macroeconomic policies. This paper proposes four systemic barriers in the policy making processes: institutional silos and gaps, informational deficits, ideology, and interests. We highlight how these barriers play out in mutually reinforcing ways to construct resilient barriers: narrowly defined mandates of central banks and other economic agencies are reinforced by ideological commitments and the influence of vested interests to neglect inclusion, equity and sustainable development as policy objectives, and in policy research agendas. This in turn creates a vicious circle of information deficits with respect to policy alternatives. The paper discusses how these barriers play out differently in different policy making contexts for different stakeholders.

Legitimising Emirati women’s expanding economic agency via narratives of the past

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the highly dynamic cultural landscape relating to economically active Emirati women who are supported by government policy but may be exposed to some societal disapprobation.Design/methodology/approachNarrative methodology is used to explore how women respond to the perceived discord between their economic agency and enduring traditional norms associated with women.FindingsResults indicate that a prevailing discursive mode within participants’ narratives is that the working woman is not at all a new phenomenon in their society but has always been a feature of Emirati history.Originality/valueThis study’s contribution to theory building is its demonstration of how traditional Arab Islamic values and modern state policy are being combined in a way that blurs the apparent dichotomy between tradition and modernity.

Rethinking Economic Practices and Values As Assemblages of More-Than-Human Relations

The relational turn in the academic literature on environmental values explores ontologies that rethink the dualistic, hierarchical separations of humans from nature. In particular, the consideration of a plurality of values and ways in which humans connect to nature has brought new insights on the dynamic interconnections between people, place and environmental processes, all highly relevant for the world's sustainability challenges. However, many conceptualizations of economic practices and values are still predominantly dualistic and anthropocentric. To overcome this human-nature divide we propose a conceptual integration of relational values with assemblages of more-than-human relations, illustrated with examples from the literature and ongoing empirical research. These concepts offer a way of representing meaningful and dynamic interrelationships, including humans, physical elements, materials (e.g. technologies, tools), immaterial entities (e.g. sounds, lights, colors), and other non-human beings. We argue that such conceptual integration provides a useful framework to rethink diverse economies as the processes through which humans and non-humans co-constitute their interrelated livelihoods. With this, we extend the relational turn to research on economic human-nature connections, following the call of many scholars in the field of ecological economics to unveil non-utilitarian values and consider multiple economic agencies.

Gender regimes, polities, and the world-system: Comparing Iran and Tunisia

This article seeks to connect gender regime theorizing and world-systems analysis. Through the comparative analysis of the evolution of gender regimes in two Global South countries, I underscore the effects of world-systemic processes – in terms of both the world-economy and the inter-state system – on national-level patriarchal relations, institutions, the nature of the public gender regime, and the direction of change. I argue that as the primary source of inequality and hierarchy at the global level, the capitalist world-system affects national-level societal dynamics and the institutional domains that constitute a gender regime. The two country cases demonstrate the salience of supra-national factors that block women's economic agency, preventing the transition to a more egalitarian gender regime (Tunisia), and strengthening domestic patriarchal forces (Iran).

Social Value Measurement of the Social Housing Supply Case ‘Cheongchun 101’ Based on the Social Return on Investment (SROI) Analysis

Social housing has been introduced as a new residential model to address the limitations of Korean public rental housing policy and the burden of housing costs for middle and low-income families. Social housing is a private rental house that is supplied, operated, and managed by social economic agencies. Starting with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, local governments are also expanding their supply support by creating related regulations. Social housing added social values such as making residential communities, connecting with local communities, securing housing quality, providing safety, and creating jobs to the nature of existing public rental housing. Therefore, this study aims to prove the supply effect of ‘Cheongchun 101’, a women’s safe social housing supplied by Jeonju City, by measuring the return on social investment (SROI), a social value measurement method. Through this study, it is believed that it will be a starting point for stakeholders such as local governments and social economic agencies to participate in the supply of social housing for citizens’ housing stability. In addition, this study is meaningful in that it is the first study to quantitatively evaluate the social value of social housing by using SROI, and it is expected that follow-up studies will be conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of social housing supply by utilizing various social value evaluation and measurement methods.

Identitas City Branding, Analisis Tampilan Identitas Daerah pada Cover Infografis Bekraf RI

The Creative Economic Agency of the Republic of Indonesia (Bekraf RI) has produced 57 infographics throughout 2016-2018 from Independent Assessment of Creative City/ District for Indonesia (PMK3I). One of the exciting parts of those infographics is the cover related to city branding's identity in developing the creative economy in an area. This study aims to determine what identities are displayed in city branding. This research used the theory of city image management by Kavaratzis. The methodology used is descriptive qualitative with content analysis techniques. The research data used are infographics cover of Creative Economic Agency of the Republic of Indonesia in Malang, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta. The data collection technique was carried out by in-depth interviews with informants who worked in the tourism sector government agencies and were native to those areas. In representing cities/regions in Indonesia, physical buildings, cultural products, and community characters are always connected to their local identity.

Food as a social weapon: Peruvian immigrant entrepreneurs claiming home, belonging, and distinction in Southern California

ABSTRACT Peruvian immigrants in Southern California encounter a complex context of reception in which xenophobic portrayals of Latinxs exist alongside positive discourses on immigration. Simultaneously, the Peruvian gastronomic boom has reached the Golden State, where foodies’ celebration of Peruvian cuisine creates a favourable opportunity structure for Peruvian immigrant entrepreneurs. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and life history interviews with 35 Peruvian women culinary entrepreneurs in and around Los Angeles, the article argues that these entrepreneurs capitalize on the positive food discourses surrounding Peruvian gastronomy to contest stigmas of an ascribed Latinx identity. Food becomes a powerful weapon to negotiate a position within racial/ethnic hierarchies. By showing that culinary businesses constitute a unique space where these complex processes play out, the paper expands the economic focus in the ethnic entrepreneurship literature and provides knowledge on how immigrants’ economic agency is embedded in broader social processes, such as their search for home and belonging.