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New inter-national and transnational complexities of economic and political relationships destabilize extant categories and units of analysis for studying trajectories of social change and explaining commonalities and differences of complex inequalities across countries. New insights on gender regime change emerge by shifting from a singular to a multi-scalar analytical frame. The paper argues that complex inequalities cannot be understood by studying a bounded geographic unit of analysis. Toward this end, the paper compares Germany and Japan in a world regional perspective, applying Walby's gender regime theory. Case comparisons of Germany and Japan not only reveal historical pathways of national developments, but also can show the benefits of a multi-scalar analytic in differentiating varieties and futures of gender regimes. An examination of the care economy shows why a multi-scalar analytic is critical for tracking the economic geographies of reproductive/care labor (both paid and unpaid). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Uncertain futures require re-imagining just transitions in concept and practice. • Proposes overlapping agendas organized around post-growth care work. • Offers ways to broaden the agents, structures, and financing of just transitions. • A set of criteria may be used to guide transitions beyond fossil fuel dependence. Just transition aims to reconcile environmental and social concerns especially for fossil-fuel dependent areas. Yet even with broad support, we can expect ongoing shocks and events to shape the implementation of just transition agendas. In concept and practice, just transitions must directly account for and anticipate profound uncertainties regarding the social and ecological context in which such projects are planned and implemented, while breaking from growth dependence. This paper argues that the future of just transitions must center on essential care work to better ensure well-being without economic growth. The essay examines diverse perspectives on the meaning of just transition, articulating a more transformative approach under conditions of economic instability. The review demonstrates broadening understandings of just transitions, spanning from those more narrowly focused on immediate worker- and sectoral supports to those aiming for more fundamental and lasting transformations of economies and societies. Given the extreme social, economic, and ecological uncertainties of our time, the paper lastly proposes temporally overlapping agendas for policies, strategies, and institutions of just transition organized around post-growth care work. As inspired by the field of futures studies, the article contributes a set of criteria to help advance just transitions beyond fossil fuel and growth dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We explore the potential synergies between working time reduction (WTR) and universal income schemes to reduce income and time-use gender gaps. • We assess the impacts of two policy mixes where WTR is paired either with a universal basic income (BI) or a care income (CI). • WTR with both BI and CI sustains men and women employment, but BI provides a stronger incentive to men employment. • WTR with CI increases women's total income and improves women's position in income distribution, but does not reduce the wage gap. • Despite an overall reduction in the time spent by women in unpaid work, the simulated policy mixes do not close the time-poverty gap. This paper departs from the hypothesis that policies targeting time poverty have the potential to reduce the gender income gap through the redistribution of time use between women and men. To this purpose, we compare two policy mixes and assess the synergies between working time reduction and two universal income schemes: a basic income and care income programme. While the former provides every individual with an equal monetary benefit, the latter ties monetary benefits to the amount of unpaid and care work performed by individuals. We assess the impact of these policy mixes by applying Eurogreen, a macrosimulation model tailored to Italy. Results suggest that while working time reduction directly drives a reduction of the aggregate amount of time spent by women in unpaid work, this does not imply a reduction in time poverty. The universal income schemes – and in particular the care income – promote a reduction of gender inequality in terms of income by sustaining women's total income, but leave the wage gap between women and men unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how women working as care professionals in contracted social services position themselves in the neoliberal, marketized era. This case study examined the renowned notion of "responsibilization"—in brief, the transformation of the state's responsibility to the individual. In the 1980s, many countries, including Israel, implemented privatization processes and contracted social services to for-profit and nonprofit social services organizations. The literature so far has shown the negative repercussions on service recipients and employees; however, scarce research exists on the unique working environment and conditions of care professionals with postsecondary education in nonprofit social services organizations. Based on the lacuna and overrepresentation of women in the field, this paper explores the work experiences of female employees in nonprofit social services organizations, including the attitudes and meanings they express in various structural contexts. Forty in-depth interviews with women care professionals in Israeli nonprofit social services organizations were conducted. Participants included Israeli and Palestinian women who reflected diversity in ethnicity, religion, and full-time or part-time jobs. The interviews dealt with employment experiences, work environment, and professional aspirations. Thematic analysis was used. The findings shed light on (a) poor working conditions and violation of workers' rights, (b) the employees' adaptation to the current situation, (c) striving for constant professionalism, and (d) aspiring to initiate a private clinic. Based on the concept of responsibilization, we discuss how the neoliberal realm becomes embedded in the employees' experiences and actions. We also contribute to the theory on responsibilization, suggesting that the nonprofit sector serves as a splitter that decentralizes social problems into local or "private" ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]