Modern World System Research Articles

Global Inequality Challenge: An Analysis of the Disparities in Wealth and Power

Global inequality is central to the explanation of the disparity between the global North and global South in terms of level of development. World systems theorists have pointed to colonial exploitation of the South by countries in the North as the cause of the disparities in wealth and power between regions. This paper examines global inequality challenges to identify the disparities in wealth and power between the North and the South. The study relied essentially on qualitative data predicated on secondary data. The paper adopted world systems theory as its framework of analysis. The paper showed that the unequal relationship between the global North and the global South was made possible by the colonial exploitation of the South by the North. By adopting the world system theory, the paper revealed how unequal division of labour, terms of trade imbalance, and Bretton Woods Institutions (IMF and World Bank) reinforced global inequality. The study recommended, amongst other things, that the South address internal conditions impeding their development; IMF and World Bank-assisted projects should not be attached with strict conditions.

Analisis Pembangunan Ekonomi Kapitalis Dalam Film Berjudul “Wolf Of Wall Street”

This research focuses on the mechanisms of the world system which is characterized by the dominances of capitalism practices, an economic mechanisms with capital as the main thing in the process. The circulation of capital is forbid to stop, because it would be caused an economic disaster on a global scale. In the global hierarchy, world systems theory divides the world into two groups of countries. Groups of developed and groups of developing countries. Determining the most ideal thing to manage the economic process towards sustainable development. Through descriptive qualitative research methods, it is hoped that we can project the social setting of research that will be used to formulate answers about ideal strategies for developing countries to face capitalism as a world system. One way is by increasing local productivity. In an effort to increase productivity, of course the quality of human resources are needed, along with a bureaucracy that is free from corrupt practices. The realization of sustainable development will constructs a way for developing countries to empower their existence against the domination of developed countries.

A comparative analysis of the environmental sustainability of London 2012 and Rio 2016: A Capability Approach to inter-national inequality at the Olympic Games

Major sporting events can act either as drivers of environmental degradation or catalysts for environmental sustainability, often dictated by the developmental level of the host nation. This article applies a Capability Approach, alongside World-Systems Theory, in its analysis of the environmental sustainability of the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The article suggests that it is the possessed capabilities of the event host, rather than resources or utilities, which defines sustainable Olympic delivery. It asserts that the ‘non-core’ Rio possessed national capabilities less valuable in hosting an environmentally sustainable MSE than the ‘core’ London. In doing so, the article establishes four key inequalities between the environmental sustainability of the two cases: environmental starting positions; prevalence of expert local organisations; structural and regulatory conditions; and economic stability. It argues that these inter-national inequalities were unaccounted for in event planning and delivery – and were exacerbated by the ‘core’ hegemony of the Olympic Games. The paper suggests that the identification, acknowledgement, and attempted remediation of this inter-national inequality of capability may encourage a more equitable Olympic Games.

W.E.B. Du Bois and Irene Diggs: Gender, Erasures, and Knowledge Production in the Sociology of the Global Color Line

The global sociology of W.E.B. Du Bois developed during the 1940s relies significantly on a collaborative relationship with African-American sociologist and anthropologist Irene Diggs (1906–1998). Diggs was mentored by Du Bois as a graduate student at Atlanta University and later became his research assistant, secretary, and colleague. No person worked for and with Du Bois as Diggs did, for nearly 14 years. In her own work, Diggs transcended Du Bois. Using archival documentary research, I analyze the connection between Diggs and Du Bois to show how they developed a global sociological perspective that included an analysis of the color line in Latin America. My analysis has two goals: (1) to show how the Du Bois–Diggs relationship was permeated by gender inequalities and a misrecognition of Diggs’s critical contribution and (2) to introduce Irene Diggs’s work on Latin America between 1942 and 1953 to show how it was inscribed within the project of a global sociology of the color line. I discuss how Diggs’s historical sociology expands the analysis of the Latin American color line today.

Post-colonial contexts, the state, and education reform: a framework for understanding the ethos of privatization

The central argument of this article is that post-colonial states operate—and have always operated, due to their roots in colonialism and capitalism—according to an “ethos of privatization,” through which state agents derive private benefit from positions ostensibly responsible for providing public services. The article offers a framework for understanding the ethos of privatization as central to state behavior that is based on insights from literatures in four areas: global education policy, political economy, world systems theory, and post-colonial studies. The article demonstrates the theoretical and methodological value of this framework for producing critical public policy knowledge by applying it to the case of educational privatization in Honduras. The article concludes with a discussion of the benefits of this framework, particularly vis-à-vis more established approaches rooted in the policy sociology literature.

Debating on Transport Corridors of Azerbaijan in the Context of Globalization

This paper investigates the impact of globalization on transportation corridors in Azerbaijan, which are strategically located to serve as hubs for crossroads between north-south and east-west trade. The main hypothesis is that globalization has had a significant impact on transportation corridors in Azerbaijan, resulting in greater connectivity and trade flows within the region. The recent triumph over Armenia has resulted in significant changes in the region, enhancing Azerbaijan's reputation. Alongside the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan has emerged as a secure passage between these influential powers. Furthermore, the rising demands for major international trade routes have created a pressing need for Azerbaijan to enhance its capabilities to effectively meet these growing requirements. According to the World Systems Theory, semi-periphery countries play the role of bridges between core and periphery states. Globalization has led to Azerbaijan's integration into the global economic system as a semi-peripheral country. This has resulted in increased trade and investment, which in turn has led to the development of transportation infrastructure and the expansion of transportation networks.

The Political Economy of Pandemics’ Influence On Hegemonic Shifts: A Comparison of the Influenza of 1918 and COVID-19

Following the World Health Organization (WHO)'s declaration of ending the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2023, this study seizes the opportune moment to analyze it alongside its historical precedent, the Influenza of 1918, commonly known as the Spanish flu. Amid the ongoing US-China rivalry for global leadership, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out when a century had elapsed since the Influenza of 1918. This analysis aims to test the hegemonic cycles approach of the World Systems Theory and to contribute to the literature of international political economy. The hegemonic cycles approach of the World Systems Theory calls for an analysis of the figures of industrial production, international trade, and finance to judge the changes within the international economy as a hegemonic shift, which occurs at 100-150 years in a circular nature. This study furthermore adds up the figures of GDP per capita to the analysis to provide insight into the level of welfare offered by the ascending hegemons to their citizens vis-à-vis the descending ones. Thus, changes in GDP per capita, industrial production, foreign trade, and finances of the UK vs. the US during the Influenza of 1918, and the US vs. China during COVID-19 provide insights into the political economy of pandemics in terms of their impact on changing hegemonic orders. The findings reveal that both pandemics triggered a period of hegemonic shift that was preeminent on economic terms within the international order.

Franco Moretti’s Interdisciplinary Approach and its Influence on Foreign Literature Studies in China

Western literary theorist Franco Moretti’s researches are featured with interdisciplinarity. His approach began with the conceptual model of “world literature”, followed by the methodology of “distant reading”, and ended with the practice of “computational criticism”. This paper aims to explore the dynamic interaction between Darwin’s evolutionary theory and Wallerstein’s world-systems analysis, as well as the interplay between close reading and distant reading, and the dialogue between traditional criticism and computational criticism. With the popularization of the Internet, the revolution of information technology and the wave of globalization, the categorization of disciplines with distinct barriers can no longer meet the complexity of modernization, and the call for interdisciplinary integration is constantly heard. Nevertheless, interdisciplinary research is in urgent need of theoretical framework and practical guidance for reference. This paper seeks to contribute to the interdisciplinary study of foreign literature in China within the purview of “new liberal arts”.

Сущность войны: анализ основных концепций

The article delves into a consistent analysis of the opposing paradigms of the essence of war – the metaphysical and dialectical paradigms. The former is represented by two directions – “depoliticization” and “absolute politicization of war”. Specific conceptions of the essence of this phenomenon realized within its framework are described – economic, naturalistic, militaristic and axiological. It reveals their scientific inconsistency and reactionary political content – attempts to justify openly unjust, invasive, illegal wars with references to natural, native and eternal “laws” of social existence. The second direction reflects the views of those who reduce the essence of politics itself to armed violence, to a strategy in international relations “from a position of strength”, which they try to “justify” even clearly aggressive wars. The dialectical paradigm of war is based on the analysis of the essence of war as a unity of politics and armed violence, with the leading role of the former and the latter being driven by the latter, which, in turn, actively influences the former. The study implements the historical method of analysis in empirical and conceptual aspects. Structural-functional and world-system analysis methodology made it possible to incorporate the essential problems of modern international politics and military strategy into the content of the article, including Russia’s Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine. Scientific novelty is contained in the unique methodology presented in the paradigms of the essence of war and the classification of their specific concepts. There are also elements of critical analysis of some modern concepts of our scientists on the analyzed problem.

Comparative Criminology of Modern View

An overview of the recently revived discipline of comparative criminology is the aim of this chapter. It starts by going over the background and context of comparative criminology then moves on to describe the modern comparative viewpoint. The chapter outlines the typical methods for doing comparative criminological research after outlining several frequently advanced goals for the field, such as theory development and testing and policy review and critique. The primary theoretical traditions of comparative criminology are first reviewed, with a focus on structural theories rooted in culture, social bonds, and the distribution of economic resources, as well as metanarratives like modernization, civilization, opportunity, and world system theories. Next, the chapter addresses methodological issues by summarizing some of the more popular dependent variables that comparative criminologists have studied and noting how these variables have been operationalized in the literature. It then examines the three methodological approaches metalevel, parallel, and case studies that are most frequently used in the field. Data regarding crime and justice worldwide are now more available than ever because of the expansion of international "transparency" and the World Wide Web's information-dissemination capabilities. The three most prevalent forms of data on international crime and justice officials, victimization, and self-report data are covered in this chapter along with the risks to each type's validity and dependability. Interested readers are directed to current sources of information pertinent to commonly used explanatory concepts. The chapter concludes by noting that although globalization and worries about transnational crime have contributed to the growth of comparative criminology as a field of study, the discipline is still in its infancy because systematic comparative work in criminology was largely neglected during the 20th century. Renaissance, in theory, is needed to support growth in this promising field of study so that theory drives research rather than just additional data.

Socioeconomic Dynamics in Kathmandu Valley: A World-System Perspective

The socioeconomic dynamics of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, are analyzed through the lens of World-System Theory, providing insights into its position within the global economic hierarchy. This theoretical framework, pioneered by Immanuel Wallenstein, categorizes nations into core, semi-peripheral, and peripheral regions based on their economic and structural positions in the global system. The Kathmandu Valley's spatial distribution of economic resources illustrates core-periphery dynamics, with urban centers like Kathmandu emerging as core areas boasting robust economic activities, while peripheral regions face marginalization and limited access to economic opportunities. Disparities in infrastructure development further highlight these dynamics, as core areas benefit from superior infrastructure, while peripheral regions contend with limited development, exacerbating urban-rural inequalities. Migration patterns within the Kathmandu Valley reflect responses to economic imbalances perpetuated by the global capitalist system, with rural residents migrating to urban centers in search of opportunities, straining urban infrastructure and widening disparities. Additionally, globalization's impact on cultural dynamics contributes to the homogenization of cultures, eroding traditional practices and identities in favor of Western consumer culture. Social stratification within Nepali society is reinforced by the hierarchical structure of the world-system, perpetuating cycles of privilege and disadvantage. Understanding these dynamics through World-System Theory highlights the interconnectedness of global and local processes, emphasizing the need for systemic change to address disparities and foster equitable development in the Kathmandu Valley.

Mapping the Country’s Dependence on Indonesia’s Coal Import Market

Indonesia is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of coal. Its strategic geographical location facilitates coal export activities to consumer countries. In addition, the quality of Indonesian coal is also very suitable for steam power plants, especially sold at competitive prices on the international market. This research highlights how the world's largest coal-importing countries depend on the Indonesian coal import market. This means that Indonesian coal significantly influences the world's energy contribution. Based on this fact, the author states that the coal that Indonesia exports to importing countries dramatically affects the economic conditions of these countries. Driven by population increases, economic expansion, improved quality of life, and energy use, coal is an important energy source. Therefore, many countries import coal to meet domestic energy needs and reserve coal supplies long-term. To find out this, the author uses a qualitative research method, descriptive analysis with a dependency theory approach, that is analyzed in a world macro context using a world system perspective. In addition, the author also uses mean calculations to find the average result of the amount of coal imports for each country.

The Effects of Economic Globalization on Indigenous Communities

Purpose: The general purpose of this study was to look into the effects of economic globalization on indigenous communities. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to economic globalization on indigenous communities. Preliminary empirical review revealed that economic globalization had diverse and often adverse impacts on indigenous livelihoods, cultures, and environments. It found that while some communities experienced short-term economic gains, many faced displacement, land dispossession, and environmental degradation. Additionally, the study highlighted the importance of recognizing and protecting indigenous rights, advocating for more inclusive and equitable development approaches. Collaboration between indigenous communities, governments, and civil society is crucial for addressing the challenges posed by economic globalization and promoting sustainable development that respects indigenous sovereignty and fosters social justice. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: World-Systems theory, Cultural Hybridity theory and the Dependency theory may be used to anchor future studies on economic globalization on indigenous communities. The study offered valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy in addressing the challenges faced by indigenous peoples. By synthesizing existing theoretical frameworks and advocating for culturally sensitive development policies, the study provided a comprehensive approach to understanding and addressing the impacts of economic globalization on indigenous livelihoods, cultures, and environments. The recommendations emphasized the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge, strengthening legal frameworks for indigenous rights protection, and fostering collaborative partnerships among diverse stakeholders. Overall, the study's recommendations aimed to empower indigenous communities, promote social justice, and advance a vision of sustainable development that prioritizes indigenous well-being.

Evolving blue development discourses and policies: Salmon farming industry and regional making in Chile

As the second biggest producer of salmon after Norway, Chile is one of the leading forces of aquaculture with a long history of being strongly focused on international markets. Based on contributions from critical geography, political ecology and the sociology of globalization, the article analyses the dominant narratives and policies deployed by the Chilean government and the salmon farming industry in successive contexts of boom and crisis of production activity in the archipelago of Chiloé (Los Lagos Region). In a context of a word-wide growing interest in the capabilities of the blue economy, a discourse analysis of governmental, industrial, and public-private institutional documents, together with semi-structured interviews to a broad number of stakeholders contributes to advance the understanding of and learn from the evolution and challenges faced by one the longest world’s salmon aquaculture leaders. The research identifies five discursive and policies phases over more than four decades of development. From an initial narrative that defines the region as “empty” and uses the discourse on salmon farming to justify territorial integration policies (1973–1982); to a second period in which the fostering of the salmon farming in the southern region served as a catalyst of national economic growth interests (1983–1994). It follows a boom phase characterized by the capitalization on the blue revolution discourse (1995–2006), which lasted until the territorial crisis resulting from the ISA virus, and the expansion of the industry towards southern regions (2007–2015). The analysis reveals a fifth phase starting in 2016 and ongoing by 2023, which characterized by the emergency and implementation of a new administrative right over coastal-marine areas to safeguard the traditional uses of indigenous communities, starts to challenge the long-standing hegemony of the salmon farming industry in Chile.

THE CONTEXT OF THE SMO IN UKRAINE FROM THE PROSPECTIVE OF THE WORLD-SYSTEM AND MARXIST APPROACHES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

The article provides a structural and logical comparison of two theoretical approaches - Marxism and world-system approach. This comparison is applied to explain the current international situation. The comparison allows us to draw a conclusion about the difference in starting positions, which leads to different versions of the explanation of current processes in the world economy and world politics. At the same time, it reveals a number of similar points in the recording of certain events, social phenomena as key ones, as well as the typological isomorphism of both theoretical positions. The applied method of researching scientific texts allows us to design an expert system of institutional knowledge for the purpose of modeling international relations.

African Vernacular Archives of Senior Women as Foundation Stones of Global Critical Sociology

This article contributes to global sociology through the construction of African sociological vocabularies from Nguni vernacular terms in Southern Africa. We employ Toyin Falola’s concept of “ritual archives” to argue that the social practices of senior African women teach and promote the sociological imagination for a global sociology that moves beyond the confines set by the “founding fathers” of the discipline. We combine the women’s status in the African household with the general understanding of being umntu (person), uluntu (society), and ubuntu (humanity) to argue for a locally informed linguistic terms and vocabularies that could promote inclusive global sociology.

Imperialism, Ecological Imperialism, and Green Imperialism: An Overview

Abstract This article aims to explore the relationship between imperialism and political ecology, the identifying characteristics of the historical development of ecological imperialism, and the ecosocial implications of its cosmetic adaptation—namely, green imperialism—in a context of growing threat and biophysical concern. We first provide a succinct updated definition of imperialism based on world-systems analysis, which serves to understand imperialism as the system of economic domination of global capitalism, placing countries at the core of the system at one pole of extraction of labor, energy, and material resources, and those at the periphery at the opposite pole of supply. This hierarchization helps to understand ecological imperialism as a series of externalizations that the core tends to implement globally, transforming the periphery into a drain for these externalizations. As part of it, green imperialism appears as a new mode of accumulation aimed at preserving the imperial mode of living in the core legitimized by supposedly environmentally beneficial policies and discourses. We conclude by addressing the need for a fruitful dialogue between the critiques of ecologically unequal exchange and the radical positions of contemporary degrowth in order to reduce the most harmful productive sectors and favor a socially just transition and development in the Global South.

One World, Many Stories: Finding Human Connection through Global Sociology

This Teaching Note examines the implementation of a full-semester course model for digital exchanges between students across countries. The model, Global Understanding, created and administered by East Carolina University, is a platform for humanistic pedagogy that dovetails seamlessly with sociological content, methods, and principles. Through an examination of student writing products, this account considers how the course exemplifies humanistic pedagogy through (1) an expansion of a verstehen of a shared experience of the “human” in the world, (2) the integration of teaching source materials from conventionally defined “humanities” fields, and (3) a normative directive to forward global human understanding.

Dependency/ World-systems Theories and Structural Position of Latin American Countries

One of the social sciences theories that has contributed significantly to the complex understanding of the modern capitalist/colonial world and the situation of Latin America in it has been the world-systems approach. However, world-systems theory cannot be separated from dependency theory since the latter provides theoretical bases for the former, especially regarding the distribution of countries into different special zones according to the functioning of the world economy. But how have these theorists positioned Latin American countries in the world system? How has their understanding of the region evolved? Through the review of the literature, systematised in three stages (pre-theoretical, synchronous, and diachronic), this article examines the historical peripheral and semiperipheral positioning of the Latin American countries and the basis for determining different degrees of peripheralisation and semiperipheralisation. The relative immobility of the countries in the region stands out, which over the decades has not improved their structural position, necessitating a review of the Latin American countries’ development strategies for the twenty-first century.

A Predatory West, Africa’s Postcolonial States, International Trade Relations and Underdevelopment in Africa: A Survey of Centre/Core-Periphery Issues

This paper examines a predatory West and Africa’s postcolonial states international trade relations and underdevelopment in Africa to divulge how centre-periphery issues evoke underdevelopment in postcolonial African states. It argues that, historically, be it a core or peripheral, in whatever mode of production, the state is the dominant laboratory for all human activities, as it plays ever-dominant roles in domestic and international politico-economic and socio-cultural affairs, being the primary vector for development or underdevelopment is society. However, international trade relations have conditioned these roles and capacities of the state, in terms of strengths or weaknesses in service delivery to its citizens. Having been incorporated and monetised into the West’s capitalism, the postcolonial Africa’s state, has despite these roles, subjectively occupied a debilitating peripheral capitalist position in global wealth production. Today, like yesterday, the postcolonial African state, exhibits excruciating and traumatising underdevelopment, incarnated by uncivilised political, social, economic infrastructures, which incubate citizens’ apathy to governance, while enhancing insecurity, poverty, conflicts and fragmentation of nationalities. Using Raul Prebisch’s (1949) dependency theory, I argue that, the weaknesses and fragilisation of the postcolonial African state accrue from the despondent peripheral capitalist position it occupies in the international capitalist division of labour. Via Wallenstein’s (1930-2019) Modern World System theory, (MWS), I seek reawakening the gratuitous Africans’ slumbering consciousness towards overcoming underdevelopment; impelled by a predatory West’s instigated peripheral capitalism.