Capital, Care and Crisis

Every election we hear of the “care crisis” as if it’s about to explode. But care affects us all, and not just in election cycles. And rather than an explosion, the reality of care in the UK looks more like the slow and gradual erosion of the fabric of social provision. But why is care in crisis? Who does care work in Britain? Why are big corporations and financiers so interested in it? How does this all track back to the financial crisis? And who will take care of us when we need it? Emma Dowling joins James Butler to explain.

Emma Dowling’s book, The Care Crisis: What Caused It and How Can We End It?, is out now from Verso Books.

Some of the voices at the beginning of the show are drawn from interviews made last year by Novara Media reporters. You can hear them in full in our deep dive into care work, politics and organising: ‘Tired From the Heart’: Voices of the Care Sector.