Shaping Provisioning Systems for an Eco-Social Transformation

This paper introduces ‘provisioning’ as a promising concept for those looking for alternatives to mainstream economics. As an object of study, provisioning systems constitute intermediaries between biophysical resource use and human wellbeing. As a concept to study, it is conducive to investigating actually existing economic formations, embedded in a biophysical reality. In this regard, two relevant approaches will be discussed: the ‘Social Provisioning Perspective’ and ‘System of Provision approach’. Based on that, we turn to the challenge of transforming provisioning systems for an eco-social transformation and argue that plausible accounts of transformative action are characterised by three aspects: desirability, effectiveness, and feasibility. After introducing each of these elements, we explore contemporary spaces of manoeuvre for desirable, effective, and feasible eco-social action.