Global Groupings

Global Groupings

1. A large number of previously poor nations are now relatively wealthy, in terms of national annual income

2. Economic groupings

   • LDCs
     • Sudan
     • Ethiopia
     • Afghanistan
     • World's poorest low-income nations
     • This group of around 50 states has sometimes been described as 'Forth World'
   • NICs
     • China
     • India
     • Indonesia
     • South Korea
     • Mexico
     • Brazil
     • Argentina
     • Middle income nations
     • Exports and average earnings have risen at unprecedented rates since the 1970s
     • Asian Tigers
     • Hong Kong
     • Singapore
     • Taiwan
     • Countries recently joining are called RICs (recently industrialised countries)
   • OECD
     • Sweden
     • Spain
     • Australia
     • UK
     • France
     • USA
     • Germany
     • Italy
     • Japan
     • Canada
     • South Korea
     • Mexico
     • Organisation of 30 nations
     • High levels of wealth are far more evenly distributed
     • Standard of living is good
   • OPEC
     • Saudi Arabia
     • UAE
     • Indonesia
     • Nigeria
     • Libya
     • Venezuela
     • Iran
     • Angola
     • Dubai
     • Petrodollars
     • Since the 1960s, many of the world's major oil producers have belonged to this organisation
     • Saudi Arabia has a GDP of around $350 billion (2007)
     • Display well above average levels of wealth
     • Wealth is unevenly distributed
   • G8
     • UK
     • France
     • USA
     • Germany
     • Italy
     • Japan
     • Canada
     • Russia
   • Ex-Soviet States
     • Russia
     • Ukraine
     • Estonia
     • Uzbekistan
     • Tajikistan
     • The break up of the soviet union in 1989 (re)created 15 ex-Soviet states
     • Many of which score poorly in HDI and GDP
     • Described as middle to low income

3. Political groupings

   • NAFTA
     • North American Free Trade Agreement
     • Canada, USA and Mexico
     • Mexico has cheap labour force, while the USA has management and research expertise
     • Spatial division of labour
     • Covers environmental and labour issues as well as trade and investment
     • US unions argue that the safeguards are too weak
     • The USA hopes to expand the area to the rest of Latin America, creating a free trade area
     • Countries like Brazil are sceptical of its benefits
     • Remains the largest trade bloc in the world in terms of combined GDP
   • EU
     • Considered the most powerful trading bloc in the world
     • Economic and political grouping of 27 European countries
     • Members contribute to a central European parliament
     • Can trade and move freely
     • Have a single currency to strengthen the economic links within the bloc
     • UK, Austria, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain etc...
   • CARICOM
     • Belize, Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada
   • MERCOSUR
     • Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay,Uruguay (South America)
   • COMESA
     • Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya (AFRICA)
   • ASEAN
     • A geo-political and economic organisation
     • 10 countries in Southeast Asia
     • Aims to include acceleration of economic growth, Social progress, Cultural development, Protection of the peace, Stability and to provide opportunities
     • Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar