In the wake of economic crisis on a global scale, more and more people are reconsidering their role in the economy and wondering what they can do to make it work better for humanity and the planet. In this innovative book, J. K. Gibson-Graham, Jenny Cameron, and Stephen Healy contribute complex understandings of economics in practical terms: what can we do right now, in our own communities, to make a difference?

Full of exercises, thinking tools, and inspiring examples from around the world, Take Back the Economy shows how people can implement small-scale changes in their own lives to create ethical economies. There is no manifesto here, no one prescribed model; rather, readers are encouraged and taught how to take back the economy in ways appropriate for their own communities and context, using what they already have at hand.

Take Back the Economy dismantles the idea that the economy is separate from us and best comprehended by experts. Instead, the authors demonstrate that the economy is the outcome of the decisions and efforts we make every day. The economy is thus reframed as a space of ethical action-something we can shape and alter according to what is best for the well-being of people and the planet. The book explores what people are already doing to build ethical economies, presenting these deeds as mutual concerns: What is necessary for survival, and what do we do with the surplus produced beyond what will fulfill basic needs? What do we consume, and how do we preserve and replenish the commons-those resources that can be shared to maintain all? And finally, how can we invest in a future worth living in?

Suitable for activists and students alike, Take Back the Economy will be of interest to anyone seeking a more just, sustainable, and equitable world.

About the Author

J. K. Gibson-Graham is the pen name of Katherine Gibson and the late Julie Graham, feminist political economists and economic geographers based at the University of Western Sydney, Australia, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Reviews

"Take Back the Economy is the single most farsighted and practical work enlightening us on the path to a steady transition toward a genuine postcapitalist world. It is based on the presupposition that reorienting the economy means much more than the control of production-it means reinventing ourselves, our communities, and our world in profound ways. Out of this act of 'reframing' there emerges a novel understanding of work, enterprise, market, property, even finance. In this wonderful new work in the tradition of Gibson-Graham, students, activists, movements, and communities will find a toolkit for ethical and effective action any time, any place."-Arturo Escobar, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"Take Back the Economy is a valuable, engaged accessible and very clear addition to the Community Economics Collective oeuvre, and I hope it will be read widely and--more importantly--change the world."-Antipode

"Readable, practical, radical."-Sociology

"A most exquisitely conducted study into the not-for-profit or other side of organisations. It impressively shows that 'another world' is not only possible but already here."-Organization

"Beneficial for the use of individuals looking to alter their environmental or economic impact, students interested in administration or economics, or researchers and planners seeking alternatives for their communities."-Journal of Appalachian Studies

Book Information
ISBN 9780816676071
Author J. K. Gibson-Graham
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint University of Minnesota Press
Publisher University of Minnesota Press
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 178mm * 38mm