Emerging Powers (Edexcel A Level Geography)

Increasing Importance of Emerging Powers

BRIC countries

• There are a number of emerging superpowers including the BRIC countries:

  • Brazil

  • Russia

  • India

  • China

• China is seen as the greatest rival to the dominance of USA as outlined previously

Other G20 members

• There are other members of the G20 who are increasingly powerful

  • The EU is the largest trading bloc in the world

  • Other emerging powers in the G20 include Asian economies of Indonesia, Japan and South Korea

Strengths & Weaknesses of Emerging Powers

Characteristics of Three Emerging Superpowers

Global environmental governance

• Climate change is an increasing concern

• Any superpower will need to engage with other countries to lead the way on tackling climate change

• This will include a leading role in the UN Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP)

  • COP27 was held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt 

Development Theory

• There are a number of theories to explain the changing patterns of power

World systems theory

• Developed by Wallerstein in 1974

• Whole world is one unit divided into:
  

  • Core

  • Periphery

  • Semi-peripheries

• The World Systems Theory fits the pattern of developed, emerging and developing countries 

• It highlights the inequality in trading patterns

Criticisms of world systems theory

• Too focussed on the economy

• Insufficient focus on culture

Modernisation theory

• The Rostow model of the Stages of Economic Growth was developed in 1960

• Based on the study of 15 European countries

• Rostow suggested that all countries have the potential to break the cycle of poverty and develop through 5 linear stages:

  • Stage 1: Traditional society: economy based on bartering, subsidence farming and little investment

  • Stage 2: Pre-conditions for take off (transitional stage): surpluses are traded through improved infrastructure and shift to manufacturing

  • Stage 3: Take off: industrial and regional growth, investment and political change

  • Stage 4: Drive to maturity: growth is supported through technological innovation, diversification and investment

  • Stage 5 - High mass consumption: consumer orientated society, durable goods production, dominant service sector, higher disposable incomes

Criticisms 

• Model is outdated and too simple

• Model assumes all countries start at the same point (same resources, population, climate etc.)

• Capital is needed to advance from Stage 1

  • The model does not show how that capital is obtained: usually a development aid loan.

  • The debt repayments can delay or even prevent a country from reaching Stage 3 and take off

• Colonialism, and the impact this had on the development of some countries, are not taken into account or are underestimated 

Dependency theory

• The theory was developed by Andre Gunder Frank in the 1960s

• It argues that the:

  • Persistent poverty of developing countries is the result of their dependency on developed countries

  • There is an unequal relationship between the developed and developing countries

  • The ex-colonies were still in a state of dependency when they became independent

• Dependency theory is linked to neo-colonialism as it outlines how:

  • Primary resources are exported from developing countries to developed countries

  • The profits from these goods are low

  • Developing countries do not have the funds to process primary resources which would add value

  • Developed countries often apply tariffs on processed goods which means that developing countries struggle to export processed goods

Criticisms

• Developed countries have lost their power to control developing countries

• Countries are emerging and becoming more developed semi-periphery countries such as Mexico and India

• The global system is now controlled by TNCs and the World Trade Organisation

• Underdevelopment may be due to internal not external factors