Gender and the Political Economy of Development

"Rai subjects the projects of both national development andglobalization to searching scrutiny through a gender lens. Heremphasis on the intersection of gender and other forms ofinequality is very timely. An excellent text for a wide range ofcourses in politics, sociology and development studies."
--Diane Elson, University of Essex
Shirin Rai pushes us to rethink development. She brings us toear a feminist analysis that grows out of her nuanced understandingof both China's and India's gendered experience. Readers willfind fresh ideas and sharp caveats about how patriarchy issustained and fought over globally.
--Cynthia Enloe, Clark University
This important book ranges across contemporary debates in thestudy of gender and political economy. It situates differinggender-based theories in the context of wider political andhistorical processes such as colonialism, post-colonialism, ColdWar politics, the New World Order, globalization anddemocratization.
Shirin Rai focuses on the gendered nature of the politicaleconomy of development, and the shifts that have occurred aseconomies and states have moved from a development process that isstate-focused to one that is clearly framed by globalization.Differences between men and women, and differences between women incontrasting social and geographical positions, are explored inrelation to their influence on political practice. Rai considershow the structures of economic and political power frame men andwomen and examines the consequences of these gendered positionings.She makes important connections between the political narratives ofdifferent levels of governance and examines the discourse ofempowerment at these different levels.
The book concludes by reflecting on the way men and women arecoping with the challenges of globalization and argues that women'smovements need to re-establish the link between the recognition ofdifference and the redistribution of economic and social resourcesif they are to maintain their radical edge.
This will be essential reading for undergraduates and graduatesin politics, development studies and gender studies.