The Guardian writes that grandparents are being urged by unions to strike in Spain because they can effectively bring the country to a halt by refusing to look after grandchildren while their parents are at work.
"For a country where half of all grandparents look after their grandchildren every day – one in eight for more than nine hours a day – the strike call threatens to disrupt the working lives of a significant proportion of the population and expose the extent to which this unpaid work is propping up the economy."
The Stiglitz Commission, appointed by France president Sarkozy, estimates that at least 35 percent could be added to national wealth to account for all "domestic" services.
A massive secret GDP exists that is not accounted for anywhere. We need new platforms that enable this kind of work to be accounted for with little or no cash. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that in the future, there'll be economies based on giving everything away.
As an aside, Joseph Stiglizt said that whoever designed the Obama administration's bank rescue plan is "either in the pocket of the banks or they’re incompetent"
Posted by: |