Beyond the Production-Consumption Divide

Conceptual Tools for the Analysis of Modes and Processes of Provision

Abstract

Within historical as well as sociological research a gulf exists between the study of matters of production, marketing and distribution on the one hand and questions of consumption and the use of goods in social practices on the other hand. Developing theoretical frameworks and methodologies that cut across this divide remains an ongoing challenge. This article considers different conceptual frameworks that open up an institutional perspective on the social and economic organization of production and consumption. Offering a close examination, in particular, of the mode of provision-approach through comparison with antecedent perspectives such as Polanyi’s conceptual scheme for studying the substantive economy, this article refines these tools and outlines their possible applications within empirical and historical research.