The relative economic decline of the current powers in the world geoeconomy stressed the notion that we are in the midst of a process of change, particularly marked by the rise of the so-called emerging economies, known by the acronym BRICS. What are the determinants of differential development of the BRICS vis-à-vis the traditional powers, other peripheral countries, and among the members of the group themselves? Is the pace of their development sustained in the long run? What are the barriers, as well as the impact of their rise to global economic governance? We start from the premise that science, technology and innovation (ST&I) have strategic importance in the long-term qualitative and sustained development of nations. Thus, this article aims to demonstrate the process of concentration and diffusion of the global production of wealth in terms of GDP/Purchasing Power Parity throughout the twentieth century and early twenty-first century, while indicating to what extent it was whether or not accompanied by the global production of scientific and technological knowledge. We conclude that the relative increase in the participation of the emerging powers in the world GDP/PPP follows, with delay and different paces, the increase in the participation of these countries in the production and possession of knowledge. This latter dimension-i.e. the property rights protection on knowledge, which follows patenting processes-remains highly concentrated in the central powers, especially the United States, despite significant advances in emerging economies, particularly China.
Uneven Development; BRICS; ST&I
