Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy

Now available!

Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy is a feminist romp through pop culture that illuminates how women influence and shape the economy.

Be sure to register for the Alumni Association's webinar on February 4, 2026, featuring Misty Heggeness, UMN alum and author of this book.  It is free and open to all!
 
Taylor Swift isn't just a pop megastar. She is a working woman whose astounding accomplishments defy patriarchal norms. And while not all women can be Beyoncé or Dolly Parton or Reese Witherspoon, the successes of these trailblazing stars help us understand the central role of women in today's economy.
 
Swiftynomics assesses the complex economic lives of everyday American women through the stories of groundbreakers like Taylor Swift, Misty L. Heggeness digs into the data, revealing women's hidden contributions and aspirations—the unexamined value they create by pursuing their own ambitions. She highlights the abundance of productive activity in their daily lives and acknowledges the barriers they still face.
 
Exploring critical reforms regarding caregiving and gendered labor, this book offers advice for women to thrive in an economy that was not built for them.

• Hardcover
• 256 pages
• 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches

About the Author:

Misty L. Heggeness is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration and an associate research scientist in the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas. She has over a decade of experience leading high-profile economic research informing federal government decision-making. Her research focuses on poverty and inequality, gender economics, economic demography, and the high-skilled workforce and has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Economist, and Science.