In this brilliant new book, MacArthur Award-winning economist Nancy Folbre reveals startling truths about our
society and how much importance we actually place on family values.
Most economists share Adam Smith's confidence that the "invisible hand" of the market transforms selfish
behavior into benefits for all. But Folbre challenges this confidence. In a pioneering reevaluation of the competitive
market, she explains why the invisible hand, if it reaches too far, can undermine the "invisible heart"
-- the values of love, reciprocity, and obligation on which our families and communities depend.
The Invisible Heart addresses an often-neglected yet basic problem in our society: blancing economic pursuits with
care for others, particularly children, the elderly, and the infirm. Historically, most societies guaranteed care
by maintaining strict limits on women's freedom. But as these limits give way and society is increasingly dominated
by the market, we need to develop more democratic and egalitarian rules for sharing care responsibilities.
Economically, it should be worthwhile to take responsibility not only for ourselves but for those who depend on
us -- including the children whom we expect to, in the future, keep our society going.
Written in a lively, personal style flavored by Molly lvins as well as John Kenneth Galbraith, The Invisible Heart
reinterprets policy issues such as welfare reform, school finance, and progressive taxation, and confronts the
challenges of globalization, outlining strategies for developing an economic system that rewards both individual
achievment and care for others.