Everyone participates in the economy, even if it does not always feel that way. The food we eat, the care we receive, the energy we use, and the things we buy or share are all part of how societies organise to meet human needs. Yet many economies today are designed around endless growth, increasing inequality, and heavy pressure on Earth’s life-support systems. Too often, it seems as though people and nature are expected to serve the economy, rather than the economy serving them.

Topic 1 introduces a different way of thinking. It starts from a simple but powerful idea: economies are human-made systems that should support wellbeing, fairness, and life on Earth. You will explore what the economy is, how economists use models to understand it, and why the way we picture the economy matters. 

You will also examine how economic activity depends on energy, materials, ecosystems, and planetary boundaries, and why ignoring these connections leads to serious problems. Along the way, you will reflect on human needs, values, care, power, and relationships, and how these shape economic outcomes. 

The Topic concludes by introducing regenerative economies, which aim to be circular, distributive, and caring, learning from nature rather than working against it. By the end of Topic 1, you should see the economy not as something distant or abstract, but as something you are already part of, and something that can be redesigned to help people and the planet thrive together.

Households are where economic life begins. They are where people are cared for, needs are met, skills are learned, and everyday decisions shape both human wellbeing and the living world. Even though households are sometimes treated as 'private' or outside the economy, they are the foundation on which all other economic activity depends, an intrinsic part of economic life.

Topic 2 explores households as a core economic institution. You will look at what households do, how they connect with markets, the commons, and the state, and why care work matters so much for society and the planet. You will also examine power and inequality within households, including gender roles and global care chains, and why understanding these dynamics is essential for building fairer economies. Finally, the Topic looks at practical strategies that can strengthen households, showing how communities, businesses, and governments can support care and wellbeing within Earth’s limits.

Markets play a major role in most economies. They help organise the production and distribution of many goods and services, using prices to signal scarcity, guide decisions, and shape what gets produced and who gets access. At the same time, markets are human-made systems. They reflect choices about rules, power, values, and priorities, and they operate within social and ecological limits.

Topic 3 explores how markets work, what they are good at, and where their limits lie. You will learn to understand markets as dynamic systems, shaped by feedback, power, and incentives, rather than as simple diagrams. The Topic then examines capitalism, showing how historical processes, laws, and economic narratives have allowed markets to dominate many societies, often concentrating power and increasing inequality while putting pressure on people and the planet. Finally, the Topic turns to business as a key actor within markets. You will explore how firms can be redesigned to support regenerative economies, through changes in purpose, ownership, governance, and finance, and through circular, local, and bioregional approaches. By the end of Topic 3, you should be able to see markets and businesses not as fixed forces, but as systems that can be shaped to better serve human wellbeing and Earth’s life-support systems.

Many of the things people rely on every day are shared. From land, water, and ecosystems to knowledge, digital tools, and community spaces, these shared resources are often cared for collectively rather than owned by individuals or firms. Commons show that cooperation, trust, and care can be powerful ways of meeting human needs while protecting the living world.

Topic 4 explores the commons as a vital provisioning institution alongside households, markets, and the state. You will learn what commons are, how they work, and why they depend on strong relationships and shared rules rather than prices or profit. The Topic introduces different spheres of commoning, showing how communities manage nature, land, urban spaces, social commitments, and digital resources in diverse ways. It also examines the threats that commons face, including enclosure, harmful economic narratives, and worldviews that separate humans from nature. Finally, the Topic looks at practical strategies to support commoning, from legal protections and public infrastructure to education and finance. By the end of Topic 4, you should understand how commons help build resilient, fair, and regenerative societies grounded in care and cooperation.

The state plays a powerful role in shaping everyday life. From clean water and schools to laws, public services, and environmental protection, the state helps create the conditions in which people live, work, and care for one another. Yet the role of the state is often contested. Some see it as essential for fairness and stability, while others argue it should step back and let markets take the lead.

Topic 5 explores the state as a core economic institution and examines how its power is formed, challenged, and used. You will learn how states are organised, where their authority comes from, and how they interact with households, markets, and the commons. The Topic also investigates the forces that weaken state capacity today, including austerity, state capture, privatisation, globalisation, ecological breakdown, and the economic narratives that support these trends. You will then rethink what the state is for, questioning growth as the main economic goal and exploring alternatives focused on wellbeing, meaningful work, price stability, and ecological balance. 

Finally, the Topic looks to the future, using systems thinking and the Earth for All scenarios to explore how bold public action could help societies meet human needs within planetary boundaries. By the end of Topic 5, you should understand the state not as a distant authority, but as a system whose choices shape whether economies move towards crisis or regeneration.

Money and finance shape almost every part of modern life, from the homes people live in to the energy systems that power societies. Yet they are often treated as technical, neutral, or beyond democratic control. In reality, money and finance are human-made systems, built on rules, relationships, and stories about value, trust, and power.

Topic 6 helps you see money and finance more clearly. You will begin by exploring what money is, where it comes from, and how it is created today. You will uncover the social history of money, challenge common myths, and examine how money systems affect relationships between people and between societies and the living world. The Topic then turns to finance, showing how financial tools organise money flows, shape risk and opportunity, and often concentrate power while deepening inequality and ecological harm. 

Finally, you will explore how money and finance can be redesigned. From local community finance to global reforms, and from public banks to digital currencies, the Topic shows how financial systems can be aligned with care, inclusion, and planetary boundaries. By the end of Topic 6, you should understand money and finance not as fixed forces, but as systems that can be reshaped to support a fairer and more regenerative future.

No economy exists in isolation. What happens in one place is connected to people, ecosystems, and communities elsewhere through global exchanges of goods and services, money, resources, labour, ideas, and waste. These connections shape everyday life, from the food we eat and the clothes we wear to energy use, jobs, and environmental pressures around the world.

Topic 7 explores how global exchanges work and why they matter. You will learn to see the global economy as a system, with rules, institutions, and powerful actors that influence who benefits and who bears the costs. The Topic takes a fresh look at familiar global economics topics such as trade, currency exchange, and economic integration, placing them in social and ecological context. It then examines how unequal global exchanges shape power, inequality, and risk, including the roles of multinational corporations, debt, financial flows, migration, and dominant development narratives. You will also explore how shocks such as pandemics, wars, climate events, and supply chain disruptions travel through global systems, revealing both deep interdependence and serious vulnerabilities. 

Finally, the Topic looks forward, exploring how global exchanges could be redesigned to support fairness, resilience, and ecological stability, through changes in trade, finance, rules, cooperation, and people-powered action. By the end of Topic 7, you should understand global exchange as a set of connections that link your daily life to the wellbeing of people and the planet worldwide, and that can be reshaped to support a more regenerative future.