Ecofeminist Political Economy: Critical Reflections on the Green New Deal

Abstract

Can the Green New Deal (GND) point the way to a post-capitalist future? Ecofeminist political economy maintains that this is only possible if social reproduction is considered. The unpaid work of women in the private sphere and women’s undervalued work in the labour market must be taken into account in a GND that strives for gender justice as well as ecological justice. The design of public infrastructures is an essential basis for this. Not only technical, but also social infrastructures must be included in the GND. It is important to understand infrastructures as ‘commons’ and to orientate their planning and financing towards the needs of social reproduction. But this also means abandoning the postulate of economic growth, which is a primary goal of state infrastructure policy. The infrastructure policy of a post-capitalist GND is one that places human wellbeing and reproductive needs at the centre of its deliberations.