The Care Economy

Support for the Care Economy, among other initiatives that have been undermined or suppressed during the Second Trump Presidency, may well re-enter the political and policy debates in 2027 and 2028. This depends of course on the 2026 midterms and the 2028 election outcomes. But it also has its own momentum and logic, buttressed by a re-emerging care-centered politics and a recent history that suggests both opportunities and challenges.

It was six years ago that the Care Economy concept became prominent and offered a new language and type of politics and policy approach during and shortly after the Covid epidemic. Covid revealed the importance of “essential workers,” many of whom constituted part of the care workforce, and it highlighted the importance of interdependence, mutual aid, and social solidarity, all central care concepts, during isolation and insecurity.