The Next Economy: Benefit to All
The Next Economy is an economic system that works for all, including people and all forms of life, including our living planet. At LIFT Economy, we describe it as a bioregional, locally self-reliant, racially just, and environmentally regenerative economy that meets basic needs for all people while enhancing the conditions conducive to life. It is both a long-term vision and something already emerging through cooperatives, community land trusts, regenerative farms, public banks, solidarity economy networks, B Corps, mutual aid projects, natural climate solutions and many other experiments.
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Why We Use the Word “Next”
We use the phrase Next Economy rather than New Economy because many of the practices needed for the future are not new at all. Indigenous wisdom, gift economies, mutual aid, local self-reliance, cooperative ownership, and reciprocal relationships with land are ancient and ongoing. The future we need is not simply a novel invention. It is also a return, a remembering, and a repair.
The Economy is Not Just Money
In the Next Economy MBA, we define the economy as the collective set of strategies we use to meet our basic needs. That definition opens up much more possibility than the narrow view that the economy is only money, jobs, markets, finance, derivatives or GDP. An economy includes how people feed one another, care for children and elders, share tools, steward land, exchange gifts, build homes, educate young people, make art, and create belonging.
When we start from that broader definition, business becomes only one part of the economy. It can be useful, but it is not the whole story. That means the question for entrepreneurs changes from “How do I build a scalable company?” to “How do I help meet real needs in a way that strengthens the web of life?”
How it Differs From Business as Usual
The business-as-usual economy often rewards extraction, concentration of ownership, externalization of harm, overconsumption, and the pursuit of growth for its own sake. The Next Economy asks different questions. Who owns this enterprise? Who governs it? Does it meet a real need? Does it strengthen the local economy? Does it regenerate ecosystems? Does it build power for communities most harmed by the current system? Does it help people develop? Does it contribute to broader movements for systems change?
Why This Definition Matters for Leaders
A clear definition matters because it gives leaders a compass. Without a compass, “impact” can become vague, sustainability can become branding, and social enterprise can become a slightly kinder version of the same extractive logic. The Next Economy is not about being a little less harmful. It is about redesigning the purpose, ownership, governance, and operation of enterprise so that it serves life.
Interested In Learning More? Join The Next Economy MBA!
In the Next Economy MBA, participants spend nine months exploring how to translate this vision into practical decisions about structure, strategy, culture, finance, operations, and marketing. Download the Course Outline and FAQ to see how the curriculum unfolds.
