Fred Block, one of the world's leading political sociologists, offers a compelling analysis of the workings and failings of our contemporary political economy. He shows how our economic structures, institutions and concepts continue to cling to a now obsolete industrial economy and how our methods for understanding how the economy functions are no longer adequate. We must grasp a new reality of a habitation economy where we buy and consume services very differently. This requires us to rethink many of our assumptions about economy and society and invites a new framework for policy that can make the economy work more effectively and justly for families and their communities.