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Defending The Indefensible? Culture'S Role In The Productive/Unproductive Dichotomy

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  • David Brennan

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to reveal the justifications for different production boundaries historically. It finds that the boundaries were and are predicated on an untenable productive/unproductive dichotomy that was justified on select and shifting cultural norms. Furthermore, the production boundary informed other categories like labor, capital, income, and wealth. Hence, this article exposes the degree to which economic categories were and are unstable, fragile, contested, and culturally embedded constructs. It then explores feminist-inspired production boundaries based on third-person criterion and finds that these boundaries are likewise culturally contingent. However, these new production boundaries merely do what economics has always attempted to do, which is to theorize production under different cultural circumstances. This article reaffirms the mutually constitutive role of culture and economic categories.

Suggested Citation

  • David Brennan, 2006. "Defending The Indefensible? Culture'S Role In The Productive/Unproductive Dichotomy," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 403-425.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:12:y:2006:i:3:p:403-425
    DOI: 10.1080/13545700600669675
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cynthia Wood, 1997. "The First World/Third Party Criterion: A Feminist Critique of Production Boundaries in Economics," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(3), pages 47-68.
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    Cited by:

    1. Virginie Gouverneur, 2021. "Family and Women in Alfred Marshall’s Analysis of Progress and Well-being," Working Papers of BETA 2021-03, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    2. Kendra Strauss, 2009. "Cognition, Context, and Multimethod Approaches to Economic Decision Making," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(2), pages 302-317, February.
    3. Virginie Gouverneur, 2022. "Families and Women in Alfred Marshall’s Analysis of Well-being and Progress," Working Papers of BETA 2022-35, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    4. Virginie Gouverneur, 2021. "Family and Women in Alfred Marshall’s Analysis of Progress and Well-being," Working Papers 02-21, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unpaid household work; culture; national income accounting; JEL Codes: B12; B13; B29;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B12 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Classical (includes Adam Smith)
    • B13 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Neoclassical through 1925 (Austrian, Marshallian, Walrasian, Wicksellian)
    • B29 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Other

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