Tag Archive for "Economics"

Posts Tagged Economics

Scandal turns into opportunity for first female IMF chief

It was announced yesterday that French finance minister Christine Lagarde has been chosen to lead the International Monetary Fund after Dominique Strauss-Kahn was forced to resign after his arrest for sexual assault.

Until the US announced it’s support for Lagarde yesterday morning, it was unclear whether she or Mexican central bank governor Agustin Carstens would be the pick.

It’s a huge step for a woman to be chosen to lead such a prominent economic player in the world economy. Economics continues to be a field dominated by men, and the vote of confidence given to Lagarde by this appointment demonstrates the impact feminism has had internationally.

About Lagarde:

France’s Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund ...

Until the US announced ...

By Courtney • 12 years ago

Academic feminists pay my mortgage

Much has been said and written about the academic-activist feminist divide. Some of us, such as our very own Samhita, have written about the ways in which academic feminism actually serves as a site of transformation. Others, including myself, have expressed feeling alienated by some of the more esoteric language and theoretical posturing that goes on in academic circles. Both experiences beg questions like: what are the benefits and risks of establishing feminism as an academic discourse? How can academic feminism resist and transform the (often sexist, often racist, often classist) academy itself? Who is the intended audience for feminist theory?

Rather than exploring any of these questions, however, I’d like to point towards some new ones. It ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Woman tipped to replace DSK at IMF is a CBA

CBA – my sister’s initials, but also, a handy acronym for Complete Bad Ass.

The CBA in question is Christine Lagarde, the trailblazing French Minister of Economic Affairs. Lagarde, a lawyer by training, is the first woman to hold that post, and the first woman to helm a G8 economy. Before that, she was the first woman to serve as chairman of the renowned international law firm Baker and McKenzie, where she practiced international and anti-trust law. A few years ago, Forbes ranked her seventeenth among the world’s most powerful women.

She is also a former member of the French synchronized swimming team, but that probably won’t help her secure the post as the new head of the IMF. What might ...

CBA – my sister’s initials, but also, a handy acronym for Complete Bad Ass.

The CBA in question is Christine Lagarde, the trailblazing French Minister of Economic Affairs. Lagarde, a lawyer by training, is the first woman ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

BP oil disaster, one year later

It’s been a year since the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and as such, seems a fitting time to check out the incredible Naomi Klein talking about the larger implications. Klein is working on a book related to this topic. Can. Not. Wait.

And for more for what it’s been like for the people of the gulf area, check here and here.

By Miriam • 13 years ago

Why I would pay more taxes

Via tmblg

It’s tax day, that annual event which many folks gripe about–having to decipher complicated tax codes and documents, and sometimes, paying more to Uncle Sam. It’s also a particularly pertinent tax day amidst conversations about a growing deficit and severe budget cuts across the board nationally.

It’s also a time of the year when I watch many of my progressive friends and colleagues complain wholeheartedly about how much they pay in taxes. I get it. A lot of us live at the edge of our means, and that extra few bucks presents a challenge. Maybe.

But underneath it all is a incongruity between the personal and the political. As progressives, we support the social safety net and government ...

Via tmblg

By Courtney • 13 years ago

A neophyte philanthropist’s guide to giving

As I’ve written before, when people think of philanthropists, images of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates often come to mind. In truth, the most quintessential philanthropist looks more like your grocery clerk, 7th grade teacher, or heck, you! Across nearly all income levels women are more likely to give and on average give more than men.

Whole books have been written about what’s wrong with the current philanthropic model. For a primer, check out my profile of the amazing Tyrone Boucher in Do It Anyway, or his thought-provoking blog, Enough. Until we revolutionize the system, I believe it’s worth our while to give up some of our resources (even very small amounts). It’s intimidating, however, to figure ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Bringing feminist values to economics

Here’s the first TEDWomen video released, by Iceland’s feminist financial superhero, Halla Tomasdottir. The inside scoop is that Halla was super nervous about her talk, both because, well, it’s nerve wracking to know people from 100 different countries are watching you (in addition to the 700 in the audience), but also because English isn’t her first language. I was so thrilled when she strode up on that stage, super hot shoes to boot, and rocked it.

Hella spoke fairly early in the program and managed to plant the seed for an ongoing conversation that was threaded through out the two days. In sum, a lot of us spoke about the reality that the earth, our economic systems, our bodies, our hearts, ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago