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The OECD's Discourse on the Reconciliation of Work and Family Life

Carleton University, Canada, prmahon{at}rogers.com

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) can be considered a pioneer of soft forms of transnational governance. For some it has used its `soft powers' to contribute to the construction of a neoliberal world order, however Neoliberal solutions are not the only ones it has to offer, especially in the area of social policy. What accounts for the ability of one unit (the Directorate on Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, DELSA) of the Organization to fashion and enunciate such different prescriptions from that prescribed by the dominant Economic Department? In this article I suggest that development of the concept of `organizational discourse(s)' offers some insight. I develop the concept and use it to compare two moments in the formation of the OECD's discourses on the `reconciliation of work and family life', an area of social policy that has grown in importance as a result of women's rising labour force participation rates, the increase in the number of lone parent families, and the demographic challenges posed by falling fertility/ageing of OECD societies.

Key Words: inclusive liberalism • organizational discourse • reconciliation of work and family life • transnational governance

Global Social Policy, Vol. 9, No. 2, 183-204 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1468018109104625


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