Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

This research develops a new typology of the structure of the world economy from 1850 to the present, based upon Charles Tilly’s theorization on the origins of the modern interstate system, and using an analytic method that combines both quantitative and qualitative characteristics. This new conceptualization advances our understanding of the long-term global processes of the world economy, and provides a new perspective on global inequalities and development. This work is a departure from previous conceptualizations and measures of global hierarchies, which are either based upon a single dimension, such as GDP or trade, or which combine various ad hoc measures into a single overall measure of position. These measures are difficult to justify theoretically, raise concerns about endogeneity, encompass short time periods, and obscure important qualitative similarities and differences among nations. Tilly argued that the modern interstate system is the outcome of merging of economic and coercive power AD 1000-1800. Following this argument, I understand economic and military power to be the two basic dimensions that continue to shape the modern world economy and drive the underlying dynamics of relationships among countries. The structure of the global economy is conceptualized as a multi-dimensional dimensional space of economic and military power. These dimensions include size of the economy, capital-intensiveness of the economy, size of the military, and capital intensiveness of the military. A typology is constructed that locates countries within this multidimensional space from 1850 to the present, using qualitative comparative analysis. Four basic power profiles are identified, which include most countries and are relatively stable over time.