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WG Transformation in the World System - Comparative Studies of Development

Working Group formerly known as "Rise and Decline in the World System"

The Annual Report of the WG "Rise and Decline in the World System" (2003)

The total number of the active WG participants - 12, including the formal members of EADI - 8, 5 of them represent the institutional members. List of the WG participants:

Conveners:

Victor Krasilshchikov (Krassilchtchikov)
the Centre for Development Studies, Institute of World Economy and International Relations (Russian Academy of Sciences)
23, Profsoyuznaya str.
Moscow GSP-7, 117997
Russia
phone: (+7)-(095)-1208232
fax: (+7)-(095)-1206575
e-mail: f1victor(AT)mtu-net.ru

Imre Levai
Institute for Political Science (Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
PF 694/115 1399, Budapest
Hungary
phone: (36)-(1)-2246732
fax: (36)-(1)-2246733
e-mail: hl3695lev(AT)ella.hu or levai(AT)mtapti.hu



In 2003 one new institutional member was attracted to the WG. This is the Centre for Studies of Post-Industrial Society, the Russian independent, non-state research organisation, headed by Dr. Vladislav Inozemtsev. Despite this centre studies mainly the processes that take place inside of the core of the world system (the most developed countries of the West), the development of non-western regions is a field of its research activity, too.
Those participants ('potential participants') who are not formal members of EADI were asked to formalise their membership and to join EADI.

In 2003 an activity of the WG was aimed to reach more intensive coordination of researches among WG participants. Despite the meeting of all WG members was not held, a constant interchange of views and ideas among WG members had been maintained and became regular. As a result of such an interchange, the members of WG concluded that: 1) the processes of decline inside of the world system (and, in some case, a social-economic exclusion from this system) prevail over the rise of new, post-industrial structures; 2) it would be relevant to change the name of WG (see below).
In scientific respect, throughout the recent year an activity of the WG members was mainly focused on: 1) a study of globalisation's consequences for development, particularly in the East/Central European countries, and the limits to development in the conditions of globalisation; 2) a comparative analysis of various development models and practices. From the point of view of concrete case studies, the following issues attracted an attention of the WG participants:

·  the development of East and South East Asian countries in the context of globalisation (the Centre for Development and International Relations, Aalborg University, Denmark, the Centre for Development Studies, a subdivision of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russia);

·  the problems of East/Central Europe in the context of EU enlargement and the rise of new periphery (German Development Institute, Bonn, University of Bitola, Macedonia, Institute for Political Science, Budapest, University of Valencia); Some members of WG studied social aspects of globalisation in Latin America (Odile Castel, Université de Rennes, Victor Krasilshchikov, Moscow).

Since after the end of cold war the development studies are not widespread in East European countries, including Russia, it is necessary to promote an information about EADI and problems of development among East European and CIS scholar communities. In particular, papers by WG members have been published in Russian (two papers by Isabel Pla are already published, one paper by Katharina Müller is translated and should be published in January 2004, and one paper by Barbara Despiney is expected for translation into Russian in November-December).



Proposals of the working group.

1) The WG suggests to proceed the workshop devoted to the problems of social-economic decline in the process of development. Such a topic looks as very actual and important because today a decline prevails over a rise of new effective market economy and civil society's institutions, the obvious achievements in some developing regions (mainly, in Asia) notwithstanding. At the same time, it would be relevant to attract an attention of potential participants to a comparative analysis of the called trend in peripheral and semi-peripheral countries. The concrete programme of the workshop should be elaborated and submitted to the sub-committee on WG till January-February. However, it is clear that the total number of participants must not exceed 15 persons, otherwise it will be difficult to organise an effective discussion.

2) Now the WG is titled "Rise and Decline in the World System". It is obvious that a study of the world system, in particular, the rise and decline inside of the latter, presupposes an analysis of the processes not only in the developing countries but also in the core countries. Meanwhile, the most WG members' research interests lie in the field of periphery studies (the only institutional member that studies the processes in the developed countries is the Centre for Studies of Post-Industrial Society). This circumstance puts objective limits to an analysis of the world system as a whole. At the same time, the WG members focus their attention on a comparative study of various areas in the developing world. Therefore, we propose to change title of the WG. The possible variants of new title are the following:

• Transformation of the World System-A Comparative Approach
• Comparative Studies of Development.

The majority of the WG participants prefer the second variant, but the first one is appropriate, too. Certainly, correspondingly to an approach of the sub-committee on WG, some modifications and specifications of the proposed titles are welcome.

3) The WG ask the sub-committee to appoint Dr. Imre Levai as the convener.


The given report (in its preliminary version) was sent to all WG members for discussion and necessary corrections.

On behalf of the working group,
Victor Krasilshchikov, convener.

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