Family, Health, and Institutional Economics
Paper Session
Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM (PST)
- Chair: Valerie Kepner, King's College
The ‘Joy of Motherhood’ as an Enabling Myth of Neoliberalism & Patriarchy
Abstract
A core enabling myth of neoliberalism is the ‘joy of motherhood’. This myth reinforces patriarchal and cultural norms pushing women into choosing motherhood (and doing the majority of caring necessary for social reproduction). As women gain economic freedom and gender equity, they challenge this myth and are less likely to choose motherhood. This decision is receiving substantial pushback & retaliation in attempts to maintain the power structures of neoliberalism and patriarchy.U.S. Health Care Institutions and the Epidemic of Trauma
Abstract
Several health outcomes in the US – physical and mental – are well-below those of other OECD countries (for example, life expectancy, maternal mortality and diabetes prevalence are higher than the OECD average) despite spending more than any other country per capita ($12,555 p.c in the US compared with the OECD average of $5,000 p.c.) on health (OECD, 2023). The health care institutions that are specific to US are a product of both financialization and monopoly, that characterize 21st century capitalism. The for-profit health care system including the private health insurance system, in the US prioritizes profits over people’s health. This system is simply not sustainable. The role that these institutions play in undermining people’s health is increasingly being recognized by public health scholars and medical professionals. In this paper we look at how mental health issues are dealt with in the US health care system. In particular, we focus on what many psychiatrists and psychologists are calling “an epidemic of trauma”. They identify trauma – both traumatic events and developmental trauma – as the basis for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and addiction which can then manifest in physical health problems such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. We analyze the role played by health care providers, health insurance companies, and the pharmaceutical drug industry in understanding this “epidemic of trauma” and suggest how specific institutional changes can better meet the mental (and physical) health needs of Americans and create a more sustainable health care system.The Skateboarding Ethic and the Spirit of Anti-Capitalism
Abstract
Max Weber’s 1905 classic, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirt of Capitalism drew linkages between aspects of protestant religious thought and the rise of capitalism in Northern Europe. Skateboarders are a community of individuals with a well-documented shared set of institutions. As an activity it is skilled, is commonly practiced at time and physical cost, and without monetary compensation. It is an activity that blurs the lines between work, sport, and leisure. Using a combined ethnographic and textual method, we evaluate skateboarders’ spoken and written thoughts about the relationships of wage labor, work, and leisure. We also evaluate community ethics relating to competition and individual success, versus resilience. Finally, we consider the degree to which the community ethic is consistent with economic systems of mutualism and the degree to which we observe these systems in practice within the community. This work contributes to the literature first, by demonstrating the degree to which shared cultural values affect economic organization and particularly, the organization of work. Second, we suggest that the values observed here provide a needed remedy to the documented social malaise of neo-liberal society.JEL Classifications
- J0 - General
- I0 - General