World Systems Theory

Review chapter 1 and pp62-74 in Taylor and Flint

Skim chapter 3: Geography of Imperialisms
Immanuel Wallerstein (1930-)
Sociologist
Marxian approach
looking for a single theory that would explain and predict
world events

Three types of systems

1.

Mini-systems
Reciprocal-lineage mode of production
2. World Empires
Redistributive tributary mode of production
3. The World Economy
Capitalist mode of production

Three Basic Elements of the World System

1) A Single Capitalist World Economy

Capitalist mode of Production: Workers do not consume all they
produce. Instead, production is for exchange in a market, which
determines the price of a commodity through supply and demand.
2) A System of Multiple States
a) states protect those without power
b) states protect those with power
c) political fragmentation
i) prevents price fixing
ii) prevents challenges to the system

Three Basic Elements of the World System

3) A 3-tier hierarchy based on 2 processes
Peripheral processes:
primary economic activities, low wages, low value added
Core processes:
Secondary, tertiary, quaternary processes, high wages,
high value added
Three tiers: Core, Periphery and Semi-Periphery
! Division of economic activities across the globe (the
geography of international capitalism)

A contradiction in capitalism?

Owners dilemma:
You want wages as low as possible to keep profits as high
as possible
You need consumers who can afford to purchase your
products.

Solutions:
1. Government subsidizes labor costs
2. Geographic expansion

International Class Matrix

Geographic distribution of class and trade relationships
Four relationships:

Core owner and peripheral owner

Peripheral owner and peripheral worker

Core owner and core worker

Core worker and peripheral worker

Seeks to explain political relations between core and periphery.

Workers

Owners

Periphery

Division

Collaboration

Core

Social Imperialism

Repression

Questions on class matrix

Will workers in the core and periphery always be divided?

Do the terms owner and worker make sense?

The problem with the term elites

If collaboration is necessary for the system to run, why does

the core push for democracy and free markets in the
periphery?

Political economy and geographic scales

Scale of Reality

--

Global Scale

Scale of Ideology

--

State Scale

Scale of Experience

--

Local Scale

The state acts as a filter between the local and the global.
The state can expose or protect localities to and from the
global market.

Global cycles
Logistic waves (1050-1750)
I. A: c. 1050 ------- c. 1250
B: c. 1250 ------- c. 1450
II.

A: c. 1450--------c. 1600
B: c. 1600--------c. 1750

Kondratieff waves (1750-present) 50-60 year cycles

A-phase: innovation and growth
B-phase: stagnation or depression

Kondratieff cycles
I. A. 1780/90---------1810/17
B. 1814/17---------1844/51

INNOVATION
Steam power

II. A. 1844/51---------1871/75
B. 1870/75---------1890/96

Railways/steel

III. A. 1890/96---------1914/20
B. 1914/20----------1940/45

Gas/electric power/chem

IV. A. 1940/45---------1967/73
B. 1967/73---------1989/92?

Petrochemicals/electronics

V. A. 1989/92?--------- ?

IT/biotech?

Kondratieff B-Phase
Four processes:
Production costs reduced by relocation
Mechanization
Rise in economic disparities
Flux period
Anti-systemic movements increase
Oppression increases
Expectations not met
Faltering power of ruling class

Role of semi-periphery
Mostly political
Prevents unity of periphery against core
Semi-peripheral states are often regional powers
Semi-periphery seeks to join core, therefore supports the
system

Wallersteins Short Hegemonies

1. Dutch Half-Century, 1625-1670
2. United Kingdom Half-Century, 1830-1870
3. United States Quarter-Century, 1945-1970

Based on economic lead, which enables political and

military power.
Not an absolute measure, but based on relative gap
with competitors.

CRITICISMS OF WALLERSTEIN
1) CAPITALISM IS NOT ABOUT EXCHANGE AND TRADE
BUT CONCERNS CLASS AND PRODUCTION
RELATIONS.
2) HIS MODEL IS TOO OVER-ARCHING AND HE GETS
HIS HISTORY WRONG
3) CHARACTERIZING STATES AS SEMI-PHERIPHERAL
OVERSIMPLIFIES REALITY
4) STATE POLICIES CANNOT BE REDUCED TO BEING A
MATTER OF RESPONSES DEPENDING ON THE
STATE POSITION IN THE WORLD ECONOMY
5) HE LEAVES OUT CULTURAL, ETHNIC AND CERTAIN
ECONOMIC FACTORS FROM HIS ANALYSIS