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The care economy has long remained invisible in policy debates, despite being at the very core of how societies function. It encompasses the everyday work that sustains life: raising children, caring for the elderly, supporting those in need, and maintaining the conditions that allow individuals to live, work, and participate fully in society.

 

Much of this work remains unpaid, largely confined within households, and disproportionately carried by women. When care is unavailable, unaffordable, or unsupported, its costs are absorbed elsewhere most often through lower female labor force participation, interrupted careers, and persistent inequalities in access to opportunity. Yet when care systems are recognized and strengthened through childcare services, eldercare provision, and the professionalization of care work, they become powerful drivers of economic inclusion. They expand access to employment, strengthen productivity, and enable individuals, particularly women, to participate more fully in economic life.

 

Across many countries in the MENA region, low female labor force participation continues to represent one of the most persistent structural barriers to development. At the heart of this challenge lies a simple but decisive reality: the unequal burden of unpaid care work and the limited availability of affordable, reliable care services. From this perspective, investing in childcare systems, expanding eldercare services, and recognizing care work as skilled and valuable labor are not secondary social measures. They are central economic strategies that shape whether women can access the labor market, whether economies can unlock their productive potential, and whether growth deepens or reduces existing inequalities.

 

It is also important to recognize that care systems do not exist in isolation. In North Africa, for instance, remittances continue to play a critical role in supporting households, financing health needs, and sustaining daily life, particularly for women and children. These private transfers often compensate for gaps in public systems and function as a form of informal social protection embedded in family and transnational networks. Yet they also reveal a structural limitation: informal solidarity, however essential, cannot substitute for comprehensive and equitable public systems, especially in the context of aging populations and evolving family structures.

 

What emerges from this evolving landscape is the need for a more integrated vision of social protection, one that goes beyond expanding coverage or improving efficiency to reconsider the role of the state in organizing care, supporting work, and creating opportunity. Building such systems requires more than technical reform. It demands stronger institutions, better coordination, reliable data, and, above all, a shift in perspective: from viewing social investment as a cost to recognizing it as one of the most productive investments a society can make.

PUBLICATIONS

The Productive Value of Care

 

Hajar Kabbach and Otaviano Canuto

 

This policy paper argues that investing in the care economy is not merely a social expenditure, but a productive economic strategy with measurable returns. Drawing on international evidence from Uruguay, Mexico, Colombia, and India, the brief demonstrates that well-designed care systems, spanning childcare, eldercare, and domestic work, can substantially increase women's labor force participation, generate employment across sectors, improve human capital outcomes, and expand the fiscal base through workforce formalization... Read more

 

 

Impact of Remittances on Women’s Longevity in North African Countries

 

Aomar Ibourk and Oussama Zennati

 

This article aims to explore the impact of migrants’ remittances on life expectancy and mortality rate of adult women left behind in north African countries. The study contributes to the literature by highlighting how remittances can support the achievement of sustainable development goals. At the same time, it investigates the extent to which remittances may challenge social policies in these countries... Read more

 

(FR) Women’s Invisible Work

 

Larabi Jaïdi

 

This paper highlights the “invisible” contribution of women’s work that is often excluded or undervalued in national accounts, including domestic work, unpaid care, subsistence production, and informal activities. This hidden labor, largely performed by women, is systematically underrepresented in employment statistics, leading to a persistent underestimation of their economic role. By narrowly defining economic activity, national statistics fail to capture this essential “ghost work” that sustains households and economies. This invisibility reinforces gender inequalities by limiting women’s access to income-generating opportunities, mobility, and economic resources... Read more

 

 

Social Protection for All Across the MENA Region

 

Hamza Saoudi

 

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant deficiencies within social protection systems worldwide, especially in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. This underscores the urgent need to fortify these social protection schemes to ensure resilience in the face of crises. Robust social safety nets played a pivotal role in mitigating the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, emphasizing the importance of well-established mechanisms in supporting vulnerable populations during times of turmoil. This highlights the imperative for nations to cultivate and enhance their social protection systems, and to ensure they are capable of effectively safeguarding citizens amidst crises, thereby promoting resilience and facilitating equitable economic development... Read more

 

 

HEALTHCARE POLICIES IN MOROCCO

The Health Sector in Morocco

 

Meriem Oudmane and Youssef Bouazizi

 

This chapter of the Oxford Handbook of the Moroccan Economy examines the Moroccan healthcare system, focusing on public health policies and the pursuit of universal health coverage. It highlights significant progress in maternal and child health and vaccination programs. By analyzing Morocco’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and comparing it with approaches in other MENA countries, the study emphasizes both progress and challenges in financing mechanisms, expanding healthcare access, and enhancing social protection... Read more

 

>> Hear from the author

(FR) Health Economics in Morocco: How Can Better Prevention Lead to Better Care?

 

The 22nd edition of the “Let’s Talk Development” initiative examined the current structure of Morocco’s health system, which, like many across the MENA region, remains heavily oriented toward curative care and hospital services, with limited emphasis on prevention and early detection. Participants underlined that, while this model has helped improve access to healthcare, it is increasingly under strain due to the rise of non-communicable diseases and mounting fiscal pressures. The event ultimately provided a platform for dialogue on rethinking health system pathways toward stronger prevention, reinforced primary care, and greater long-term sustainability... Watch

 

 

POLICY WORKSHOP

The Policy Workshop, held within the framework of the IDRC-funded project “Climate–Care Nexus: Adapting Care Systems to Climate and Migration Pressures in North and West Africa”, convened policymakers, international organizations, and leading experts to advance dialogue on a rapidly emerging policy agenda.
 

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