Social Reproduction and the Political Economy - Essay Example

The global political economy encompasses worldwide economic systems. There is an endless array of perspectives within this spectrum of investigation. In recent years the feminist theory has examined the political economy in terms of the concept of social reproduction. This is a term emanating from sociology that examines how processes that perpetuate or sustain a given social structure over time. This essay examines how social reproduction relates to our understanding of the global political economy and how it is defined in the context of IPE.

            There are a variety of perspectives on the way social reproduction informs an understanding of the global political economy. From an overarching perspective, there is the recognition that social reproduction has been situated within the global political economy in hierarchical ways. For instance, Bakker noted, “social reproduction is not confined to the household, but forms the foundation of Braudel’s hierarchical model of the economy” (Bakker, p. 542). This hierarchical structure is then viewed in terms of systematic interaction between the different levels. Notably, this view of social reproduction views it as necessary in a conflicting relationship with the demands or processes of capitalism. One example of such systematic interaction is given in terms of witch hunts. In this way, hundreds of women were executed on the grounds that they were witches. Within the context of the political economy, this is viewed as a means of the capitalist apparatus reclaiming power. The fundamental recognition in this sense is that as ‘witches’ demonstrated alternative forms of morality, it was necessary to execute them to reclaim the power of reproduction. Ultimately the extent to which this systematic interaction is dependent on conscious or unconscious perspectives is contingent on a variety of notions of social reproduction in the political economy.

            In the context of the international political economy, social reproduction takes on another mode of interpretation. Social reproduction not only involves the processes of human reproduction, but also the moral and cultural implications tied into these processes. An extensive array of research has examined this in the context of the international economy. Steans & Tepe consider the ways that international political organizations have worked to change the policy regarding specific groups or demographics.