Recently, most capitalist economies in the Global North have experienced a decline in manufacturing and an increase in the service sector. Meanwhile, there has been substantial manufacturing growth in the Global South. This book explores why these changes have occurred and the best way to understand how the contemporary economy functions.

"This book makes a new and important contribution to our theoretical understanding of social economy. Researchers, educators and policy makers committed to building co-operative, mutual and social enterprises will find this a valuable addition to their library.", Dr Rory Ridley-Duff, Reader in Co-operative and Social Enterprise, Sheffield Hallam University