The BRICS in the Emerging Global Economic Architecture

The document argues that South Africa's inclusion in the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is justified by its influence in shaping the global economic agenda rather than just its GDP. It highlights how the BRICS, and specifically the BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China), have challenged the dominance of advanced economies in the WTO and UNFCCC. The author notes the group's role in promoting South-South cooperation, increasing trade and investment with low-income countries, and pushing for reforms in the IMF and other Bretton Woods Institutions to better reflect current global economic realities.

• The author contends that the size of a country's economy is an insufficient metric for BRICS membership, arguing instead that the ability to exert influence on the international stage and shape the global economic agenda is the more important yardstick.
• South Africa played a pivotal role in challenging the global pharmaceutical industry's intellectual property rights to ensure access to affordable antiretroviral (ARV) drugs during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which subsequently shifted the dynamics of the WTO toward protecting public health.
• The BRICS countries, particularly through the G-20 agriculture coalition and the NAMA-11 group, have successfully challenged the hegemony of the 'Quad' (US, EU, Japan, and Canada) in WTO negotiations to ensure development-friendly outcomes for developing nations.
• The BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) influenced climate change negotiations by announcing voluntary mid-term CO2 emission reduction targets prior to COP 15, which prompted developed countries to commit $100 billion annually by 2020 for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.
• BRICS nations have significantly increased economic ties with low-income countries; an IMF study estimated that trade between BRIC countries and low-income countries grew by at least 25% annually since 2001.
• The BRICS are leveraging their position in the G-20 to advocate for the reform of Bretton Woods Institutions, specifically seeking to increase the voting shares of emerging market countries to reduce 'legitimacy deficits'.

APA

Dhar, B. (2012). The BRICS in the Emerging Global Economic Architecture. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Occasional-Paper-125.pdf

Chicago

Dhar, Biswajit. The BRICS in the Emerging Global Economic Architecture. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2012. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Occasional-Paper-125.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dhar |first1=Biswajit |title=The BRICS in the Emerging Global Economic Architecture |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Occasional-Paper-125.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dhar2012brics, author = {Dhar, Biswajit}, title = {{The BRICS in the Emerging Global Economic Architecture}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Occasional-Paper-125.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }