A guide to public investments in the care economy: Policy support tool for estimating care deficits, investment costs, and economic returns

This policy support tool was developed in the framework of the UN Women and International Labour Organization (ILO) Joint Programme titled “Promoting Decent Employment for Women through Inclusive Growth Policies and Investments in the Care Economy” and as part of the UN-wide response initiatives to be included in the UN socio-economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Within this framework, the tool aims to provide a methodology on how to:

1. Identify the coverage gaps in care services (namely public healthcare, long-term care, early childhood care and education, and primary and secondary education);
2. Estimate the costs of public investments and expenditures for eliminating these coverage gaps; and
3. Assess the various social, employment, and fiscal returns to such investments in the short- and long-run.

See other policy tools developed under this UN Women and ILO Joint Programme:

• “How to assess fiscal stimulus packages from a gender equality perspective” and
• “Assessing the gendered employment impacts of COVID-19 and supporting a gender-responsive recovery”.