Uneven Development and Structural Changes in the World Economy: the evolution of BRICS participation in global GDP, from 1900 to 2008

This Policy Brief examines the evolution of the participation of the BRICS countries in the global GDP measured in Poder Paritário de Compra (PPC) from 1900 to 2008, the year in which the current global economic and financial crisis was triggered. This evolution is analyzed by the angle of the classical concept of “uneven development” as postulated by Robert Gilpin, which encompasses the opposing effects of concentration and diffusion of capital, industrial activities, and wealth in the system.