Economies of care: A conversation with Lebohang Liepollo Pheko

Published on November 10, 2025
“Poverty is not an individual flaw but a systemic industry that milks suffering, stripping people of dignity and agency.” 
 
In her new conversation with The Club of Rome, Lebohang Liepollo Pheko dismantles the notion of poverty as a personal failure and reframes it as a consequence of power, history, and design. 
 
Drawing from her work as an activist scholar, Pheko calls for feminist and decolonial economies as systems that centre care, community, and ecological balance over extraction and profit. She also speaks about the need for academic activism that bridges ideas and action, and for leadership that is collective, relational, and deeply human. 
 
Watch the short video clip where Pheko reflects on her approach to academic activism, and read her full interview “Economies of care” now available on The Club of Rome website. 
 
 
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