Summary of Industrial Convergence, Globalization, and the Persistence of the North-South Divide by Arrighi, G,. Silver, J, B,. and Brewer, D, B,. (2003)
Summary
Arrighi,G,. Silver,J,B,. and Brewer,D,B,. 2003. Industrial Convergence, Globalization, and the Persistence of the North-South Divide. Studies in Comparative International Development. p.3-31
Through the use of descriptive and comparative analysis, the authors intend on demonstrating that the convergence of the industrialization gap was not accompanied by a convergence in the income levels gap between former First World and Third World countries. Thus, the North-South divide still exists. Through economic models, the persistence of the North-South income divide is explained. Simultaneously, the authors discuss the development project and globalization project and how the shifts occurred. Additionally, the reproduction of the North-South divide is discussed. The paper is concluded with a highlight on the factors destabilizing the new illusio and the long-term future of the Northern-dominated hierarchy of wealth. The paper is separated into four subsections. In the first subsection titled World Income Inequality, Development and “Globalization”, the authors examine the theoretical framework of the paper. Firstly, the authors discuss income inequality between countries and highlight that debates on world income inequality do not completely address the persistence or non-persistence of the North-South divide issue. Thus, the paper addresses this. The authors state that in theory, the North-South divide could decline in significance even if extreme inter-country income inequality persisted. They further state that this would be the case if inter-country inequality was accompanied by switches within the distribution of income between former Third World countries and former First World countries. Furthermore, the authors suggest that unequal income distribution is characterized by less long-term upward/downward mobility of countries from Third world to First World and vice-versa. This can reflect a hierarchy of wealth. Previous research showed that
Arrighi,G,. Silver,J,B,. and Brewer,D,B,. 2003. Industrial Convergence, Globalization, and the Persistence of the North-South Divide. Studies in Comparative International Development. p.3-31
Through the use of descriptive and comparative analysis, the authors intend on demonstrating that the convergence of the industrialization gap was not accompanied by a convergence in the income levels gap between former First World and Third World countries. Thus, the North-South divide still exists. Through economic models, the persistence of the North-South income divide is explained. Simultaneously, the authors discuss the development project and globalization project and how the shifts occurred. Additionally, the reproduction of the North-South divide is discussed. The paper is concluded with a highlight on the factors destabilizing the new illusio and the long-term future of the Northern-dominated hierarchy of wealth. The paper is separated into four subsections. In the first subsection titled World Income Inequality, Development and “Globalization”, the authors examine the theoretical framework of the paper. Firstly, the authors discuss income inequality between countries and highlight that debates on world income inequality do not completely address the persistence or non-persistence of the North-South divide issue. Thus, the paper addresses this. The authors state that in theory, the North-South divide could decline in significance even if extreme inter-country income inequality persisted. They further state that this would be the case if inter-country inequality was accompanied by switches within the distribution of income between former Third World countries and former First World countries. Furthermore, the authors suggest that unequal income distribution is characterized by less long-term upward/downward mobility of countries from Third world to First World and vice-versa. This can reflect a hierarchy of wealth. Previous research showed that