Economics Explored

What Counts as Economic Activity — and What Doesn’t

Episode Summary

What do we actually count as economic activity — and what do we leave out? In this episode, Gene speaks with economist Misty Heggeness about Swiftynomics, her new book on women’s work, unpaid care, and the limits of standard economic statistics. Misty uses Taylor Swift as a narrative anchor for a broader argument about care, work, and economic growth. She argues that large amounts of productive activity — especially care and household work — sit outside GDP. The conversation explores unpaid labour, the gender pay gap, universal childcare, and whether rethinking what we measure could lead to better economic policy.

Episode Notes

What do we actually count as economic activity — and what do we leave out? In this episode, Gene speaks with economist Misty Heggeness about Swiftynomics, her new book on women’s work, unpaid care, and the limits of standard economic statistics. Misty uses Taylor Swift as a narrative anchor for a broader argument about care, work, and economic growth. She argues that large amounts of productive activity — especially care and household work — sit outside GDP. The conversation explores unpaid labour, the gender pay gap, universal childcare, and whether rethinking what we measure could lead to better economic policy.

Gene would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. You can email him via contact@economicsexplored.com. 

About this episode’s guest: Misty Heggeness

Misty L. Heggeness is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration and an associate research scientist in the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas. She has over a decade of experience leading high-profile research that informed decision-making within the U.S. federal government. Her research focuses on poverty & inequality, gender economics, and the high-skilled workforce and has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Economist, and Science.

https://spaa.ku.edu/people/misty-heggeness

Takeaways

1. GDP measures market activity — but ignores much unpaid care and household work.
2. Women, on average, do more total economic activity per day once unpaid work is included.
3. How we measure the economy influences which policies governments prioritise.

Timestamps

• Introduction to the Podcast and Guest (0:00)
• Discussion on the Book's Theme (2:31)
• Taylor Swift's Relevance and Personal Experiences (4:34)
• Defining Swiftynomics and Its Broader Implications (12:08)
• Policy Proposals and Universal Child Care (14:03)
• Gender Pay Gap and Workplace Flexibility (18:43)
• Affirmative Action and Gender Quotas (28:54)
• Conclusion and Key Takeaways (36:53)

Links relevant to the conversation

Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy:

https://www.amazon.com/Swiftynomics-Women-Mastermind-Redefine-Economy/dp/0520403118

The Care Board:

https://thecareboard.org/ 

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