Nancy Folbre is professor emerita of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Her research focuses on the interface between feminist theory and political economy, with a particular focus on the work of caring for others. Her book “Saving State U” (New Press, 2010) makes a case for strengthening public support for higher education in the United States.

Other recent books include “Greed, Lust, and Gender: A History of Economic Ideas” (Oxford University Press, 2009) and “Valuing Children: Rethinking the Economics of the Family” (Harvard University Press, 2008).

Professor Folbre is recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, and she has consulted for the United Nations Human Development Office, the World Bank and other organizations.

For more details see her Web site and her research blog, Care Talk.

Featuring this expert

What is Work?

Video | Jun 10, 2020

What counts as work and what doesn’t?

Nancy Folbre’s Feminist, Unorthodox Economics

Article | Jan 4, 2018

The renowned feminist economist discusses the importance of heterodoxy, radicalism, and social justice to the discipline

The Economics of Care

Video | Feb 23, 2016

Nancy Folbre is an American feminist economist who focuses on economics and the family, non-market work and the economics of care. She is Professor Emirita of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who has written extensively about the economics of care and reciprocity.