In this episode of Syria: Alternative Dialogues, Salam Said hosts Dr. Fatma Ibrahim (researcher in political economy and feminist approaches) and Farah Daibes (feminist activist and researcher) for an in-depth discussion on feminist economics as an analytical lens and an alternative economic framework to the dominant neoliberal policies in the region.
The episode explores how feminist economics broadens the meaning of “the economy” to include unpaid care work, social and environmental well-being, and why an intersectional approach is essential for understanding inequality.

Key Themes:

– Defining feminist economics and its differences from mainstream economics, including its critique of the “rational economic man” model.
– The impact of neoliberalism on women and marginalized groups, and the role of international institutions (IMF and World Bank) in deepening debt and inequality.
– Intersectionality and ecofeminist economics: redirecting resources toward sustaining life (health, education, sustainable transport, food security).
– Why GDP fails to account for care work and informal labor, and how this affects policymaking.
– Regional examples (Syria, Gaza, Egypt…): post-conflict reconstruction, and the need for transformative gender-responsive budgeting (parental leave, public nurseries, care services).
– The relationship between neoliberalism and political authoritarianism, and the importance of centering people and the environment in economic policy.

About the Guests
Farah Daibes:
A Palestinian-Jordanian feminist, Farah works to highlight the connections between patriarchy and other oppressive systems that reinforce it—particularly capitalism and colonialism. Over the past decade, she has collaborated with multiple organizations focused on gender justice across Southwest Asia and North Africa, with an emphasis on strengthening feminist movements and participatory knowledge production.
She holds a master’s degree in project management and currently works as an independent researcher, trainer, and consultant.

Dr. Fatma Ibrahim:
A feminist researcher specializing in gender and the economy, with a particular focus on migration, labor, and welfare systems from a critical feminist perspective. She holds a PhD in political science and is an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (HEA).
Her academic work examines and critiques dominant economic structures that reinforce gendered inequalities, while highlighting the strategies women develop within their diverse communities to confront discriminatory economic policies.
In addition to her academic research, she works at the intersections of technology, gender, and sexual rights, and contributes to initiatives promoting gender and digital justice across Southwest Asia and North Africa.

Host: Salam Said — Researcher in political economy and Project Director for “Economic Policies for Social Justice” at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Southwest Asia and North Africa.

Produced and Coordinated by:
Reem Takriti

This episode is part of a special series on neoliberal policies in Syria and the region, produced by the Syrian Center for Policy Research in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.

Previous and Next Episodes:

Keep listening to our podcasts, and discover more from “Syria; Alternative Dialogues” by following us on Spotify.