scholarly journals The structural power of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in multilateral development finance: A case study of the New Development Bank

2021 ◽  
pp. 019251212110482
Author(s):  
Niall Duggan ◽  
Juan Carlos Ladines Azalia ◽  
Marek Rewizorski
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
International Political Economy ◽  
World Order ◽  
Development Bank ◽  
Structural Power ◽  
Development Finance ◽  
New Development

The emergence of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as an alternative force to the West has ignited a debate within the discipline of international political economy on the nature of the group’s rise. Global governance scholars either debate the role of the BRICS in transforming the world order (playing the game) or focus on the domestic sources of the BRICS nations’ preference formation (the position of states within the game). This article goes beyond the game-versus-player debate, by focusing on the structural power of the BRICS to ‘change the rules of the game’. The article investigates how the BRICS-created New Development Bank as an alternative circuit for actors to exchange goods in the area of development finance has been integrated into global governance. The article argues that the New Development Bank does not grant the BRICS the structural power needed to change the rules and norms that underpin the game.

scholarly journals Foreword

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-5
Author(s):  
Viktoriya Panova
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
International School ◽  
Strategic Partnership ◽  
National Committee ◽  
Development Bank ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
New Development

Dear friends! Allow me to congratulate the winners of the Contest for BRICS Young Leaders whose papers are published in this special issue of the BRICS Journal of Economics, partner of the Contest. No doubt, these articles bring to the BRICS agenda the most promising projects for promoting practical cooperation among the youth of our five countries. The Contest for BRICS Young Leaders was held within the annual BRICS International School by the Russian National Committee on BRICS Research and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund and other partner organizations. The BRICS International School was initially established to train young professionals in BRICS studies through educational experiences focusing on fostering the pentalateral partnership of the BRICS countries. As the project evolves, we are proud to say that it has been widely contributing to building the pool of talented youth from BRICS and beyond. On behalf of the Russian National Committee of BRICS Research, I would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to the BRICS Journal of Economics for the support of the Contest as a part of the youth track within the Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020. Let me express my hope that the BRICS Journal of Economics will further expand its impact in promoting knowledge and cutting-edge research as one of the most forward-looking journals in the field of BRICS studies. Since the creation of BRICS in 2009, the participating countries have made a significant progress in economic, technological, social, and humanitarian development, and have strengthened their positions in the institutions of the global governance. During its first decade, efforts of the BRICS countries became one of the key factors in world politics and global economic development. This year Russia took over the Chairmanship in BRICS for the third time under the motto “BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth.” Its main purpose was determined as raising standards and quality of life of the peoples of our five countries. The Chairmanship is built on the three pillars of BRICS strategic partnership — policy and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contacts. As a part of its policy track, BRICS countries continued to promote universal principles of international law, central role of the United Nations in international affairs and contributed to forming of a more democratic and multilateral system of the global governance. Efforts of the BRICS countries within economic pillar focused on the renewal of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025. The new Strategy emphasized trade, The Quality of Competition Law Institutions and Enforcement 5 investment and finance, support of the digital economy and sustainable development as its priority areas. By adopting the Strategy, the five countries expressed their commitment to strengthen cooperation within the BRICS businesses communities, to facilitate the reform of the global trade and financial system, to advance cooperation within the BRICS Contingency Reserve Arrangement and the New Development Bank. The BRICS countries prioritized working in the fields of innovation and technology and addressing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, sustainable development, climate change, energy, infrastructure development and food security. Within the humanitarian track, Russia prioritized strengthening of people-to-people contacts with the development of the youth track one of its core tasks. The BRICS countries continued strengthening youth exchanges in the fields of science, technology and innovation, volunteerism and entrepreneurship. It is illustrated by the comprehensive support of youth initiatives within the Russian Chairmanship and reflected in the XII BRICS Summit Moscow Declaration. This year BRICS reached a number of practical agreements to support our economies to recover from the health crises. BRICS countries agreed to support small, medium and micro businesses to participate in international trade, to foster interbank cooperation and strengthen the role of the New Development Bank. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak affected the Russian BRICS Chairmanship this year. The global healthcare crises and its implications for BRICS became the cross-cutting issue of discussions within the meetings at all levels and all fields of our cooperation. As an example of BRICS response to this challenge, the BRICS countries agreed to establish an early warning system for epidemiological threats and to develop specific steps for the legal regulation of medical products that will improve our capacities to combat similar threats in the future. I am proud that the Contest for BRICS Young Leaders and the BRICS International School engaged so many capable young people to elaborate solutions addressing the most pressing issues for the global community. The innovative ideas to foster partnership and friendship among the peoples of BRICS proposed by the participants of these projects will bring a positive change. I am convinced that with the contribution of the young leaders to the BRICS agenda, we will be able to solve issues of international importance and to build a better world.

The internal and external institutionalization of the BRICS countries: The case of the New Development Bank

2021 ◽  
pp. 019251212110241
Author(s):  
Bas Hooijmaaijers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Development Bank ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
New Development ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Internal And External Factors

This article explores and explains the internal and external institutionalization of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries via a case study of the New Development Bank. It contributes to the existing literature on the BRICS and the New Development Bank by identifying internal and external factors of institutionalization and by presenting the most recent developments in the field. The internal and external channels of cooperation complement the traditional one based on hosting annual joint BRICS summits. In 2014, these five countries institutionalized their cooperation with an agreement to establish this Bank. The recently established various New Development Bank regional offices play an essential role in its internal and external institutionalization. The New Development Bank is still very much in development. Nonetheless, the internal and external institutionalization approaches provide useful conceptual lenses to understand BRICS cooperation via the New Development Bank better.

Role of New Development Bank and Food Security in the BRICS Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-57
Author(s):  
Pintu Kumar ◽  
Prahlad Kumar Bairwa
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Development Bank ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
New Development

‘Chinese’ hegemony from a Korean shi perspective: aretocracy in the early modern East Asia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inho Choi
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
World Order ◽  
Legitimate Authority ◽  
Normative Influence ◽  
Global Order ◽  
Modern Chinese ◽  
Chinese State

Abstract The study of pre-modern Chinese hegemony is crucial for both theorizing hegemony and envisioning a new global order. I argue the pre-modern Chinese hegemony was a reciprocal rule of virtue, or aretocracy, driven by the transnational sociocultural elites shi. In contrast to the prevailing models of Chinese hegemony, the Early Modern East Asia was not dominated by the unilateral normative influence of the Chinese state. The Chinese and non-Chinese shi as non-statist sociocultural elites co-produced, through their shared civilizational heritage, a hegemonic order in which they had to show excellence in civil virtues to wield legitimate authority. In particular, the Ming and Chosŏn shi developed a tradition of envoy poetry exchanges as a medium for co-constructing Chinese hegemony as aretocracy. The remarkable role of excellent ethos for world order making in Early Modern East Asia compels us to re-imagine how we conduct our global governance.

scholarly journals “BRICS LAW”: AN OXYMORON , OR FROM COO PERATION , VIA CON SOLIDATION , TO CODIFICATION?

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 6-33
Author(s):  
R. Neuwirth
Keyword(s):  
Global Governance ◽  
World Order ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
New Development ◽  
The Future ◽  
Global Affairs ◽  
Heads Of State ◽  
Global Arena ◽  
Global Law

In the global arena, the cooperation between the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – covers around 42% of the world’s population and some of the world’s most dynamic emerging economies. Initially, the BRICS cooperation was suggested as an idea, and it was later welcomed as a new addition to the global governance debate about the future. The BRICS countries have already held ten consecutive summits of heads of state plus a large number of meetings at the ministerial level. The cooperation describes itself as a “cooperation and dialogue” platform, but it has nonetheless signed a number of binding treaties and, notably, established the New Development Bank (NDB) as a permanent institution headquartered in Shanghai (China).The cooperation has also met with resistance, criticism and problems caused by the overall complexity of global affairs in a rapidly changing world. The diversity and remote locations of the BRICS countries have also been thought of as an obstacle to their successful cooperation and their ability to play an active part in global governance in the twentyfirst century. The main challenge thus lies in their ability to overcome their differences and to make a difference in designing the future global political and economic world order. Against the backdrop of the global governance debate, the present paper therefore asks whether the BRICS cooperation constitutes a novel model of regionalism with multilateral aspirations, and what role law and, notably, the “rule of law” can play in this important task. The paper includes a discussion of the extent to which the BRICS cooperation needs to be upgraded in legal and institutional terms, and possibly to proceed from cooperation via consolidation to the codification of its most important sources of global law.

Exploring Guanxi in a Cross-Cultural Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
_ _
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Employment Decisions ◽  
Employment Relationships

Abstract Using a case study of recently arrived Cantonese-speaking migrants, this article examines the role of guanxi in shaping Chinese newcomers’ economic activities and opportunities in South Africa. In Johannesburg, Cantonese-speaking migrants tend to be employed in restaurant and fahfee (gambling) sectors, which are partially inherited from the early generations of South African Chinese. Through narratives and stories, this article reveals that Cantonese newcomers often strengthen personal and employment relationships through the practice of guanxi, but that doing so can also constrain their employment decisions. Moreover, the ambiguous boundary between the act of bribery and the practice of guanxi may facilitate Chinese participation but can also result in the victimization of the newcomers.

scholarly journals Industrial strategy and local economic development: The case of the foundry industry in Ekurhuleni Metro

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Phele ◽  
S Roberts ◽  
I Steuart
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Foundry Industry ◽  
The Past ◽  
Concrete Action

This  article explores the challenges for the development of manufacturing through a case study of the foundry industry in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. Ekurhuleni Metro covers the largest concentration in South Africa, but the industry’s performance has been poor over the past decade.  The findings reported here highlight the need to understand firm decisions around investment, technology and skills, and the role of local economic linkages in this regard.  The differing performance of foundries strongly supports the need to develop concrete action plans and effective institutions at local level to support the development of local agglomerations.

Exploration role of volunteerism on the digitisation project: case of the office of the premier in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Youth Empowerment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Volunteer Labor

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of volunteerism during the digitisation project by the Office of the Premier in Mpumalanga with a view recommending the best practice. Design/methodology/approach The empirical data was collected through the semi-structured qualitative interviews with the records manager and ten volunteer archivists employed by the Office of the Premier. Findings Local pupils within the Mpumalanga province were recruited to participate in the digitisation project as a form of youth empowerment. The Mpumalanga Provincial Archives was not involved in the digitisation project to ensure that all digitisation specification was in line with the requirement of the provincial archives. Furthermore, a lack of resources to implement the digitisation project was cited as the main stamping block for the successful implementation of the project. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to the Office of the premier, in the Mpumalanga province. Practical implications Archivists interested in recruiting volunteers on a digitisation project can use this paper to understand the benefits and cost of volunteer labor before putting volunteer projects into practice. Social implications The success of a digitisation project depends on the involvement of the Mpumalanga Provincial archives. Originality/value This paper presents a unique case study in South Africa of a digitisation project staffed with volunteers in the office of the Premier.

scholarly journals Systematic conservation planning: a review of perceived limitations and an illustration of the benefits, using a case study from Maputaland, South Africa

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Smith ◽  
Peter S. Goodman ◽  
Wayne S. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Systematic Conservation Planning ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Game Ranching ◽  
Setting Process

Systematic conservation planning is widely considered the most effective approach for designing protected area and other ecological networks. However, many conservation practitioners still ignore these methods and we suggest that five perceived limitations of this process are affecting its uptake. These perceptions are that (1) systematic conservation planning software is difficult to use, (2) the process requires extensive biodiversity distribution data, (3) setting targets for representing conservation features is not possible, (4) the advantages of systematic conservation planning do not outweigh the costs, and (5) the resulting plans often identify unsuitable areas. Here we review these perceived limitations and argue they are all misplaced, although we recognize difficulties in the target setting process. We then illustrate the value of systematic conservation planning to practitioners using a case study that describes a low-cost exercise from Maputaland, South Africa. This preliminary conservation assessment measured the effectiveness of the existing reserve system and identified a number of candidate areas that could be the focus of community- or privately-run ecotourism or game ranching ventures. Our results also emphasize both the importance of producing planning outputs that are specifically targeted for stakeholders, and the role of systematic conservation planning in providing a framework for integrating different provincial, national and transnational conservation initiatives.

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