In the previous chapter we defined the economy as the transformation by human providers of nature's provisions into provisions for human households. This transformation, of course, involves various organizations working together in interrelated systems of provision, such as the food system or the housing system. This chapter will clarify the nature of these systems and provide a model for organizing them.

As we have said before, we know what we want. We want a just and sustainable economy. What we need to know is how we can get there from here. Our first step will be to review the current typology of economic systems and see how we might change it to move us in the right direction. One economic typology that is currently used – and that frankly hinders our imagining of systems of provision – is the typology of economic sectors.

THE WORLD OF ECONOMIC SECTORS

Although there are different lists of economic sectors, that given in Figure 13.1 is a good example. Developed recently by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to provide a way of comparing business activity across North America, it is known as the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Note that the industries listed move in a sequence from sectors that extract resources from the earth and biosphere such as fishing and mining, to sectors that transform resources into products, such as construction and manufacturing, to those that distribute products, such as retail trade and transportation.