Power and the Third World: Toward a Realist Political Economy of North-South Relations

Abstract:     
By introducing questions of power into the study of North-South relations, the recent books by Jeffrey Hart and Stephen Krasner fundamentally challenge the prevailing orthodoxy of dependency and world systems theory. Power and bargaining, these two authors tell us, mattter both analytically and practically. Yet, in each study the origin, nature, and role of power is problematic. If Realism is to provide an effective alternative to economistic approaches to international political economy it must derive specific interests from the concepts of power and the international distribution of power. I also argue that the New International Economic Order is part of a larger class of mercantilist strategies employed by various countries at particular moments in history to redress politically important economic imbalances. What is unique about the present North-South conflict is its multilateral character.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Keywords: development, realism, New International Economic Order, North-South relations

Accepted Paper Series