ABSTRACT

This chapter shows how the concepts discussed in previous chapters can be used as a foundation for addressing important social problems such as gender discrimination and environmental degradation. The model of the macroeconomy presented in Chapter 5 can be modified to show the embeddedness of the economy in society and the physical environment. Given this framework, important questions about the nature of value are raised, and the home can be thought of as a place of economic production, shaped by (and shaping) relationships with the monetized economy, social norms, and the natural environment. Time use data is an important tool for understanding what kinds of economic activities take place at home and who is doing them. Additionally, understanding the role of social norms in economic production more generally sheds light on the persistence of discrimination in the monetized economy and its relationships with other identities such as race and ethnicity. The perspective of ecological economics is then discussed, highlighting the complex relationship between the economic and environmental systems. The chapter concludes by linking the paradigms discussed here with the material developed in preceding chapters.