International geographical division of labor and the world economy. International division of labor

International geographical division labor - the division of labor between countries, the specialization of their production on certain types of products that they exchange. In order for such specialization to arise, certain conditions are necessary. Firstly, a country that participates in the international division of labor must have some advantages (for example, a wealth of natural resources), be ahead of at least some countries in the production of a certain type of product, and secondly, there must be countries that require such? “products; thirdly, the costs of delivering products to the point of sale should be beneficial to the country of production.

The economic accounting of many countries is determined by their international specialization. Japan, let's say, is largest exporter cars, radio electronics products and robots

The degree of involvement of any state in the international division of labor depends primarily on the level of development of its productive forces. Therefore, developed countries occupy leading positions in the modern international division of labor, especially in the production of knowledge-intensive technologies. As for countries. Asia,. Africa and. Latin. America, then the increase in their role in the international division of labor occurs mainly due to resource supply economically developed countries their raw material specialization, which developed during colonial times, continues to this day.

Geographical factors also influence participation in the international division of labor. So,. England, largely thanks to its dominance on the main sea routes of the last century, realized the fruits of the industrial revolution. The revolution became the birthplace of capitalism. Some types of production are “assigned” to a particular country or region based on its rich resource base. Precisely oil and gas fields. Middle. The East made it possible to transform the region's large fuel and energy base in the world.

But both geographical location and natural resources are only the primary factor in the international division of labor. Socio-economic conditions play a decisive role here

If the international division of labor is based primarily on the specific security of countries natural resources, then it is quite logical that countries. Africa also specializes in the production of tropical fruits, while other countries do not. Northern. Europe - on catch northern species fish, which they themselves consume. But much the process is more important international division of labor, based on increasing the economic efficiency of production of a particular product. In this case, the division of labor makes sense only with its consistent cooperation, which is based on sustainable exchange between countries with the products they produce with the greatest economic efficiency.

The international division of labor is affected by different level technology development. The international division of technologies, in turn, is a consequence of differences in the development of scientific and technological progress in individual countries, and is largely determined by differences in the provision of such factors of production as labor and capital, as well as knowledge resources, the amount of scientific and technical information concentrated in scientific institutions, literature, data banks, etc. Advanced computer technology provides. The United States plays a leading role in the world trade in computers, and the Dutch technology of growing fresh flowers is a leader. the Netherlands in their trade on the world market.

442 Specialization and cooperation in countries of the world

International cooperation is gaining everything these days higher value. One of its important forms is international specialization and cooperation of production. At previous stages, they prevailed in intersectoral specialization, which previously resulted from the presence of favorable natural preconditions. So, let's say, specialization arose. Poland by production coal,. Hungary and Yugoslavia - from the production of bauxite. Finland - for the production of timber. Denmark and The Netherlands - for the production of meat and dairy products. With recess. Scientific and technological revolution in the international division of labor was already played by Utrigaluz specialization, based not so much on natural prerequisites as on the results of scientific and technical activity. It covered all sectors, but in the most to a greater extent manifests itself in leading galas. Scientific and technological revolution, especially in mechanical engineering, in turn, such specialization also appears in various forms.

The simplest of them is subject specialization, in which individual countries usually specialize in the production of different standard sizes of certain types of products. So, tractor manufacturing. The USA specializes mainly in the production of heavy wheeled and tracked tractors. UK - medium power tractors. Germany - low power, and c. Japan - garden tractors.

complex form - detailed (unit-by-unit) specialization, in which even closer ties arise between manufacturing enterprises different countries. They are expressed in the exchange of components and assemblies that do not have independent meaning, but are used as parts of the final product - a car, tractor, machine tool. COMPUTER. This specialization has reached the greatest high level within the framework of integrated groupings, first of all. The EU, where enterprises of individual countries are interconnected by many thousands of production threads. The same can be said about the (technological) specialization that has arisen, widely used where the division of a single technological process at individual stages - for example, in the production of ethylene and other naphtochemical products.

International specialization and cooperation are embodied in the joint production of products on a bilateral or multilateral basis, when individual countries participate in the production of one or another type of final product, the assembly of which from units and components occurs in one of them. Yes, in the 80s. Germany,. France,. United Kingdom,. Belgium,. Netherlands,. Italy and. Spain jointly implemented a program to create the Air Obus aircraft. Each of these countries produces some of the necessary parts and components, and the airbuses are assembled in the French city. Touluzzi.

443 Integration of countries of the world

Economic integration of countries is a process of economic interaction between countries, leading to the convergence of economic mechanisms, takes the form of interstate agreements and is consistently regulated by interstate bodies. This does not contribute to the development of deep, sustainable relationships and division of labor between national economies. Economic integration is a form of internationalism of economic activity, rapprochement and deepening of interaction between national economies. It is due to the growth of productive forces, an increase in the level of socialization of production and the scientific and technological revolution. Economic integration manifests itself in state forms unification of countries. The integration process is characterized by:

1) targeted changes in the economic structure of individual countries, coordination of cooperation between states, coordination of the range of products in the countries of the commonwealth, as well as the joint use of research potential based on the international division of labor. As a result, scientific and technological progress accelerates, raw materials are used more fully, and the efficiency of the functioning of national economies increases;

2) creation and improvement international cooperation, which deepens international specialization and cooperation in production;

3) intensifying the role of domestic economic policy in creating conditions for deepening the effectiveness of economic relations with other countries. This is expressed in the transformation of the economies of the united countries, which are driven by the implementation of mutual and international norms of quality and standard. Integration involves not only the use of certain features of the sectoral structure of production in individual countries for mutually beneficial exchange of activities, but also a targeted restructuring of the structure of national economies, which ensures a significantly higher degree of their interaction and expanded opportunities for the international division of labor.

Economic unions can be: regional (European Union, NAFTA) special (Magat), commodity-production (OPEC) investment (International Monetary Fund, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Of the currently operating integration unions, it is the most popular in the world. European. Union is a regional Western European integration grouping of 15 powers (Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, since 1973 - Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, since 1981 - Greece, since 1986 - Spain, Portugal, since 1994, Sweden. In February 1992 in the Dutch city. Maastricht Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance of the 12 Member States. European. The communities signed an agreement on. European. Union, providing for the transformation of the community into an economic, political union. The Treaty entered into force on November 1, 1993? Percentage of countries. The EU accounts for 1/3 of world trade, 1/3 of the world's gold and foreign exchange reserves.

The value increases. North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), created in 1992 by the USA. Canada and Mexico. NAFTA opens the way to the creation of an integral market space on a continental scale. It unites 370 million people, and its production volume reaches 8 trillion US dollars. Complete leveling and merger of the three national markets is expected in 15 years.

Many kinds integration groups also occurs in developing countries. An example would be. Association of States. South-Eastern. Asia (ASEAN) is a subregional political and economic association in the UK example. Indonesia,. Malaysia,. Singapore,. Thailand. Philippines. Brunei. The goal is to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of member countries.

V. South. America created a trade and economic association -. Amazonian pact composition. Bolivia. Brazil,. Venezuela. Guyana. Colombia. Peru,. Suriname and Ecuador. Created in Africa. Customs and economic union. Central. Africa included. Gabon. Cameroon. Congo and Central African. Republic. The activities of these and many other integration associations depend on the socio-economic progress in developing countries, as well as on the international economic and political situation in general.

The international geographical division of labor (IGDT) is the specialization of individual countries in the production of certain types of products and services intended for export to the world market. It originated in ancient times, developing and becoming more complex with the development of productive forces, but it covered the whole world only with the emergence of the world economy.

The international division of labor is integral part territorial division of labor, and its development is determined by a number of factors:

• 1) differences in geographical location countries, forms of geographical location: central, peripheral, neighboring, coastal - have significant influence on the specialization of individual countries, promoting or inhibiting the development of certain types of production and services;
• 2) the characteristics of natural conditions and the provision of natural resources. This is one of the most powerful factors in the specialization of countries in the world at various stages of their development. As a rule, countries that are sufficiently wealthy various types natural resources, specialize in material-intensive types of production. And, conversely, countries with a low level of security are forced to give preference to non-material-intensive industries, focusing more on energy and material-saving technologies. At the same time, exceptions to these patterns are not uncommon, which is determined by the influence of other factors;
• 3) a strong factor in the international division of labor is the differences in the supply of labor resources. Countries well supplied with them have the necessary prerequisites for the development of labor-intensive sectors of the economy and vice versa. True, in the conditions of scientific and technological revolution, the most significant thing is not the absolute indicators of security, but the quality of labor resources - educational and qualification level. Historically formed labor skills play an exceptionally large role in the specialization of individual countries and regions;
• 4) the international division of labor is greatly influenced by differences in the level of socio-economic development of countries around the world, in particular, the state of science and the research base, technical and technological equipment, previously created material base, infrastructure, etc. It is quite natural that underdeveloped countries do not have the necessary financial, scientific, labor and material prerequisites for the independent development of modern high-tech industries national economy and even more so for specializing in them.

Absolutely all countries of the world must participate in the international division of labor. None of them can afford to be isolated in their domestic market, even such economic giants as the USA, Russia, China, which are well provided with their own natural and labor resources, have a complex sectoral economic structure and a capacious domestic market for the sale of their products. This would be irrational and economically unjustified, as it would lead to significant economic losses. After all, participation in the international division of labor gives direct economic effect, which arises due to the difference in costs in the production of certain types of products and in the provision of services in various countries peace.

In addition, participation in the international geographical division of labor is dictated not only by the economic benefits received, but also by the need to strengthen political ties between countries, saturate the domestic market with certain goods and services, etc.

The degree of participation of individual countries in the international division of labor is ambiguous, which is determined by differences in the provision of their own natural resources, the level of economic development, the capacity of the domestic market and other factors. The countries with the largest economic potential, while standing out sharply in general for the scale of their participation in the international division of labor, are, as a rule, characterized by a lower degree of involvement in MGRT compared to small countries.

Very significant differences are observed between individual countries and their groups in the current international specialization of the economy (see Appendix 3). Thus, if economically developed countries specialize mainly in the manufacturing industry, primarily in its high-tech industries that determine modern scientific and technological progress, then developing countries specialize mainly in the mining industry, the agricultural sector or old, traditional branches of the manufacturing industry. There are also exceptions. Thus, some highly developed countries, such as Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, are widely known in the world market for their products from the mining industry or the agricultural sector. At the same time, NIS stand out in the international division of labor in a number of modern sectors of the national economy, in particular the production and export of electronic products, semiconductors, etc.

International relations are growing and expanding, contributing to the strengthening of peace and mutual understanding between peoples. MGRT has led to the need for countries to participate in international economic relations. The times of national isolation and economic isolation of states are a thing of the past.

Those countries that are highly dependent on world economic relations, deeply “rooted” in them, are called countries with open economies. The degree of openness is determined by the export quota - the share of exports in the creation of the country's GDP. This quota depends not only on the degree of economic development, but also on the size of the domestic market. Thus, in Singapore the export quota is 70%, in Belgium and the Netherlands - 55-60%, in the USA - 10%.

World economy - is a historically established set of national economies and their constituent industries, interconnected by global economic relations based on the international division of labor. (In English-language literature the term “world economy” is used.)

The basis of world economic relations is the international geographical division of labor.

International geographical division of labor (MGRT) is expressed in the specialization of the economy of individual countries in the production of certain types of products or services and in the subsequent exchange of them.

The geographic division of labor (international and territorial - within the country) is determined by the natural and social heterogeneity of the geographical space: differences in natural conditions and resources, the level of economic development, and the characteristics of the historical path traveled.

The influence of natural factors has the greatest impact on the specialization of mining industry areas, agriculture and recreation.

Branches of specialization - these are the main sectors of the country’s economy, focused on the export of products, determining its “face” in the international geographical division of labor. These are sectors of the economy, the development of which is provided with the necessary resources for a long period and so much so that the costs of production and delivery of products to the consumer should be lower than in other countries. At the same time, the scale of production must be quite large and significantly exceed the country’s own needs. Specialization allows individual countries not to spend huge financial resources on creating certain industries to produce goods, but to receive them through foreign trade.

As a result of the development of international specialization, countries were divided into three groups:

• 1) countries producing manufacturing products for the world market;
• 2) countries that provide extractive industry products;
• 3) countries specializing in the production and sale of agricultural products.

A number of industrialized countries simultaneously produce products from manufacturing, mining and agriculture (Canada, France, the Netherlands, Norway).

To the first group include mainly industrialized countries: the USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, Canada, Italy, Japan, which supply high-tech equipment to the world market, vehicles, chemical and light industry products, household appliances. However, within this group there is also specialization in certain types of products. For example, manufacturers and suppliers aviation technology are mainly USA, France; manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality cars - corporations from the USA, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Sweden; household appliances- Japan, Germany, the Netherlands.

To the second group These include countries that have powerful mineral resources and sell them on the world market. These are primarily oil-producing countries in the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa that sell oil and gas. In addition, this group should include a number of countries in Africa and Latin America, as well as such industrialized countries as Sweden, Australia, Canada, which mine and sell in large quantities various mineral resources(coal, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, gold, silver, etc.).

To the third group These include countries whose specialization in the world market is limited exclusively to agricultural products, either due to weak economic development, mainly due to the colonial rule of a number of Western countries in the 18th-19th centuries, or as a result of this specialization. This primarily concerns the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Suppliers of agricultural products on the world market are also the majority of industrialized capitalist countries (USA, Canada, almost all countries Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand).

Speaking about the third group of countries that supply agricultural products, we should note among them countries with a narrow specialization: Brazil - coffee, Argentina - meat, Cuba - sugar, India and Sri Lanka - tea.

Exists large group countries with monocultural specialization, in which the overwhelming majority of exports account for one or two goods (Table 1.23).

Table 1.23

Developing countries with monoculture economies

It is possible to specialize in industries other than production sector (Republic of Maldives- international tourism, Singapore - servicing foreign ships, banking and other services).

The deepening of international specialization and exchange has led to a particularly close “merging” of the national economies of a number of countries. This is how a new, higher level of international geographical division of labor arose - international economic integration. It represents an objective process of development of particularly deep and stable relationships within separate groups countries, based on their implementation of coordinated interstate policies.

The largest regional groups include European Union (EU), uniting 28 countries of Western Europe with a population of almost 500 million people: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary , Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Croatia.

Another large integration group, uniting 450 million people, is North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which included the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Developing countries are also creating their own integration groups. Association of countries Southeast Asia(ASEAN) unites Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. These countries announced the creation of a zone with free circulation of goods, services, investments, labor and capital.

In 1991 it was formed Commonwealth of Independents

States (CIS), which included all former Soviet republics, except Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, in order to establish lost economic ties. Later, Georgia announced its withdrawal from the CIS.

The largest industrial economic grouping is Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), uniting 12 countries: Algeria, Angola, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, UAE, Venezuela, Ecuador.

Sectoral structure of the world economy - this is the relationship between its constituent industries and spheres. The spheres distinguished within the world economy are production and non-production. Largest industries production sector - industry, agriculture, transport, construction, communications; non-productive - trade, financial activities, science, education, healthcare, culture, consumer services.

Based on the ratio of spheres and industries, we can distinguish three types of economic structure: agricultural, industrial and post-industrial. The role of individual industries and spheres in the structure of the economy can be judged by their share in the country’s GDP or share in the employment structure of the population.

The ratio of these elements has changed historically. Before the start of the industrial revolution world economy had an agrarian structure with a predominance of agriculture. For the first half of the 20th century. The industrial structure of the world economy was characterized by a predominance of industry, and now non-production sectors are acquiring leading importance.

At agrarian structure Agriculture is the basis of the country's economy. It is typical for the least developed countries of the world. For example, in the structure of the GDP of Somalia, Tanzania, Laos, Cambodia, and Nepal, agriculture accounts for about 50%. And the share of the economically active population employed in this industry is even higher - 80-90%.

Industrial structure economy back in the middle of the 20th century. prevailed in all economically developed countries. Then the share of industry in the structure of GDP and employment began to decrease due to the development of the non-production sector. Employment in industry decreased due to the introduction of mechanization, automation and the subsequent increase in labor productivity. The industrial structure of the economy is typical for some CIS countries (Kazakhstan), Eastern Europe(Czech Republic, Poland), i.e. countries with economies in transition, as well as China, Korea, Malaysia. Nevertheless, in these countries and in individual oil-producing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the share of industry is declining, as is the share of agriculture, giving way to the non-manufacturing sector.

Post-industrial structure economy or society began to take shape under the influence of scientific and technological revolution. It is characterized by the leading role of the non-production sphere, primarily science, the development of high-tech industries, and the use of the latest technologies.

At the same time, the service sector is developing rapidly, and employment in the intellectual sphere is growing. An important factor The development of productive forces and man himself was the restoration (recreation) of his physical and creative abilities (health care, physical education, sports, recreation, tourism, entertainment). A significant increase in demand for durable consumer goods (cars, televisions, computers) leads to an expansion of trade. All more people use the services of banks, insurance companies, hotel and tourism enterprises. One of the important types of business services has become the study of consumer demand - marketing.

In the USA, most countries of Western Europe, Japan, Canada, Australia, the share of services in GDP has reached 70% or even exceeded this level.

Very small countries that rely on tourism have an even higher share of the service sector in the structure of GDP. different types financial activities and provision of other services. For example, in Monaco, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Maldives, and Lesser Antilles, the share of the service sector in the GDP structure exceeds 80%.

Rice. 1. Ideas about the global economic hierarchy in beginning of XXI V.

International geographical division of labor - the division of labor between countries, the specialization of their production on certain types of products that they exchange. In order for such specialization to arise, certain conditions are necessary. Firstly, a country that takes part in the international division of labor must have some advantages (for example, a wealth of natural resources), be ahead of at least some countries in the production of a certain type of product; secondly, there must be countries requiring such products; thirdly, the costs of delivering products to the point of sale should be beneficial to the manufacturing country.

The economic accounting of many countries is determined by their international specialization. Japan, for example, is the largest exporter of cars, electronics products and robots.

The degree of involvement of any state in the international division of labor depends primarily on the level of development of its productive forces. Therefore, developed countries occupy leading positions in the modern international division of labor, especially in the production of high-tech products. As for the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, the increase in their role in the international division of labor occurs mainly due to the resource supply of economically developed countries. their raw material specialization, which developed during colonial times, continues to this day.

Geographical factors also influence participation in the international division of labor. Thus, England, largely thanks to its dominance on the main sea routes of the last century, realized the fruits of the industrial revolution and became the birthplace of capitalism. Some types of production are “locked in” to a particular country or region based on its rich resource base. It was the oil and gas fields of the Middle East that made it possible to turn this region into a large fuel and energy base of the world.

But both geographical location and natural resources are only the primary factor in the international division of labor. Socio-economic conditions play a decisive role here.

If the international division of labor is based primarily on the specifics of countries’ endowment with natural resources, then it is quite logical that African countries specialize in the production of tropical fruits, and countries Northern Europe- catching northern species of fish, which they themselves consume. But much more important is the process of international division of labor, based on increasing the economic efficiency of production of a particular product. In this case, the division of labor makes sense only with its consistent cooperation, which is based on a stable exchange between countries of the products they produce with the greatest economic efficiency.

The international division of labor is influenced by different levels of technology development. The international division of technologies, in turn, is a consequence of differences in the development of scientific and technological progress in individual countries, largely determined by differences in the provision of such factors of production as labor and capital, as well as knowledge resources, the amount of scientific and technical information concentrated in scientific institutions, literature, data banks, etc. Advanced computer technology provides the United States with a leading role in the world trade in computers, and the Dutch technology of growing fresh flowers gives the Netherlands primacy in their trade on the world market.

44.2. Specialization and cooperation in countries around the world

International cooperation is becoming increasingly important these days. One of its important forms is international specialization and production cooperation. At previous stages, they prevailed in intersectoral specialization, which previously resulted from the presence of favorable natural conditions. Thus, for example, Poland began to specialize in coal mining, Hungary and Yugoslavia - in bauxite mining, Finland - in timber production, Denmark and the Netherlands - in meat and dairy products. With the deepening of scientific and technological progress in the international division of labor, intra-industry specialization, based not so much on natural prerequisites as on the results of scientific and technical activity, played an increasingly important role. It has covered all sectors, but is most evident in the leading branches of scientific and technological revolution, especially in mechanical engineering. In turn, such specialization also appears in various forms.

The simplest of them is subject specialization, in which individual countries usually specialize in producing different standard sizes of certain types of products. Thus, the US tractor industry specializes primarily in the production of heavy wheeled and tracked tractors, the UK - medium-power wheeled tractors, the Federal Republic of Germany - low-power, and Japan - garden tractors.

A complex form is a detailed (unit-by-unit) specialization, in which even closer ties arise between manufacturing enterprises from different countries. They are expressed in the exchange of components and assemblies that do not have independent significance, but are used as parts of the final product - a car, tractor, machine tool, computer. This specialization has reached its highest level within integrated groups, primarily the EU, where enterprises of individual countries are interconnected by many thousands of production threads. The same can be said about the emergence of (technological) specialization, which is widely used where it is possible to divide a single technological process into separate stages - for example, in the production of ethylene and other petrochemical products.

International specialization and cooperation are embodied in the common production of products on a bilateral or multilateral basis, when individual countries participate in the production of one or another type of final product, the assembly of which from units and components occurs in one of them. Thus, in the 80s, Germany, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain jointly implemented a program to create an airbus aircraft. Each of these countries produces some of the necessary parts and components, and the assembly of airbuses is carried out in the French city of Toulouse.

44.3. Integration of countries of the world

Economic integration of countries is a process of economic interaction between countries, leading to the convergence of economic mechanisms, takes the form of interstate agreements and is consistently regulated by interstate bodies. It promotes the development of deep, sustainable relationships and division of labor between national economies. Economic integration is a form of internationalism of economic activity, rapprochement and deepening of interaction between national economies. It is due to the growth of productive forces, an increase in the level of socialization of production and the scientific and technological revolution. Economic integration manifests itself in state forms of unification of countries. The integration process is characterized by:

1) targeted changes in the economic structure of individual countries, coordination of cooperation between states, coordination of the range of products in the countries of the commonwealth, as well as the joint use of research potential based on the international division of labor. As a result, scientific and technological progress is accelerated, raw materials are used more fully, and the efficiency of the functioning of national economies increases;

2) the creation and improvement of international cooperation, which deepens international specialization and cooperation in production;

3) intensifying the role of domestic economic policy in creating conditions for deepening the effectiveness of economic relations with other countries. This is expressed in the transformation of the economies of the united countries, aimed at the implementation of mutual and international quality standards and standards. Integration involves not only the use of certain features of the sectoral structure of production in individual countries for mutually beneficial exchange of activities, but also a targeted restructuring of the structure of national economies, which ensures a significantly higher degree of their interaction and expanding the possibilities of the international division of labor.

Economic unions can be: regional (European Union, NAFTA) special (Magata), commodity-production (OPEC) investment (International Monetary Fund, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

Among the current integration unions, the most popular in the world is the European Union, a regional Western European integration grouping of 15 powers (Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, since 1973 - Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, since 1981 - Greece, since 1986 - Spain , Portugal; since 1994 - Finland, Sweden, Austria). In February 1992, in the Dutch city of Maastricht, the ministers of foreign affairs and finance of 12 member states of the European Community signed the Treaty on the European Union, which involves the transformation of the community into an economic, monetary, and political union. The agreement came into force on November 1, 1993. The share of EU countries is 1/3 of world trade, 1/3 of the world's gold and foreign exchange reserves.

The importance of the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), created in 1992 by the USA, Canada and Mexico, is growing. NAFTA paves the way for the creation of a coherent market space on a continental scale. It unites 370 million people, and its production volume reaches 8 trillion US dollars. Complete leveling and merger of the three national markets is expected in 15 years.

Many different integration groups are emerging in developing countries. An example is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a subregional political and economic association consisting of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Brunei. The goal is to contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of member countries.

IN South America a trade and economic association was created - the Amazon Pact consisting of Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador. In Africa, the Customs and Economic Union of Central Africa has been created, consisting of Gabon, Cameroon, Congo and the Central African Republic. The activities of these and many other integration associations will depend on socio-economic progress in developing countries, as well as on the international economic and political situation as a whole.

CONCEPT OF THE WORLD ECONOMY

The formation of the world economy actually covers the entire history of mankind.

As a result of the Great geographical discoveries international trade has followed Europe and Asia to other regions globe. The exchange of products between them led to the formation of a world market.

The further expansion of this market was facilitated by the development of transport. Sea transport connected all continents. In the second half of the 19th century. the length grew rapidly railways, which connected the inner parts of the continents and, in the figurative expression of Heinrich Heine, “killed space.”

But main role in the formation of the world economy belonged to the large machine industry, which arose at the end of the 18th-19th centuries. in a number of countries of Western Europe and the USA after the industrial revolutions that took place in them. Consequently, the world economy was formed at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. as a result of the development of a large machine industry, transport and the world market.

World economy- this is a historically established set of national economies of all countries of the world, interconnected by global economic relations.

International geographical division of labor (IGDT). N. N. Baransky, who deeply and comprehensively developed the concept of geographical division of labor, called it the basic concept of economic geography.

Geographical (territorial) division of labor is an inevitable result of the development of human society, associated with the growth of commodity production and exchange. Its inevitability follows from the fact that between separate territories There are always differences: firstly, in geographical location, secondly, in natural conditions and resources, thirdly, in socio-economic conditions - level of development, economic structure, labor resources, historical traditions, etc. Such differences lead to the fact that many types of industrial and agricultural production seem to be attached to certain territories.

This applies to individual economic regions, as well as to entire countries that are interconnected by the international geographical division of labor. It originated in ancient times, but with the emergence of the world economy it spread throughout the world.

The international geographical division of labor is expressed in the specialization of individual countries in the production of certain types of products and services and in the subsequent exchange of them.

The international geographical division of labor changes over time.

The industry of international specialization is the result of the geographical division of labor. The specialization of individual countries in the production of certain types of products and services involves their production in quantities significantly exceeding the own needs of the producing country. It finds concrete expression in the formation of industries of international specialization, that is, industries that are largely focused on exporting products and primarily determine the “face” of the country in the international geographic division of labor.

Japan ranks first or second in the world in car production. It exports approximately half of all cars it produces to other countries. The automotive industry is a branch of its international specialization.

Canada ranks seventh in the world in grain production and second in grain exports. Grain farming is a branch of her international specialization.

In turn, international specialization makes it necessary international exchange goods and services. This exchange finds expression in the development of international economic relations, in the growth in the number and power of cargo flows, and a larger or smaller territorial gap always forms between the place of production and the place of consumption.

International economic integration: regional and sectoral groupings. Having covered all the countries of the world, the world economy and the international geographical division of labor in recent decades have been growing not so much in breadth as in depth. They become more complex and take on new forms. The deepening of international specialization and exchange has led to a particularly close “merging” of the national economies of a number of countries. This is how a new, higher level of international geographical division of labor arose - international economic integration. It represents an objective process of development of particularly deep and sustainable relationships between individual groups of countries, based on their implementation of coordinated interstate policies.

In the second half of the 20th century. regional economic integration has become the dominant trend in the development of the world economy, which is increasingly composed of integrated economic groupings. Five of these groups are among the most important.

In Europe, this is the European Union (EU), which includes 15 countries with a total population of 370 million people. Founded back in 1957 as the “Common Market,” this integration association gradually grew in breadth and depth. At the end of the 90s. EU countries produce 1/4 of world GDP and provide 1/3 of world trade. Thanks to integration, they formed a single economic space with the free movement of goods, capital, services, technologies, labor force. On January 1, 1999, the EU introduced a single currency - the euro.

Your desire to join European Union expressed by 13 more European countries. Of these, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia and Cyprus should be admitted in 2003.

In the Asia-Pacific region, this is, first of all, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which consists of ten countries in this region with a total population of more than 400 million people. It is also an organization of the Asia-Pacific economic cooperation(APEC), which includes 21 countries, including Russia.

IN North America this is the North American Free Trade Association (NAFTA), which includes the USA, Canada and Mexico with a population of 400 million people, providing more than 1/4 of world GDP. Unlike the EU, this association does not have any supranational bodies and it represents, first of all, a “common market”.

Finally, in Latin America, this is the Latin American Integration Association (LAI), which unites 11 countries in the region and has as its main goal the creation of a “common market” of member countries.

In addition to regional ones, there are many sectoral economic groupings in the world economic system. The most important of them is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which unites 11 countries.

Tasks and tests on the topic "The concept of the world economy"

• World ocean - General characteristics Nature of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 9 Tests: 1

• Relief of the ocean floor - Lithosphere - the rocky shell of the Earth, grade 5

  Lessons: 5 Assignments: 8 Tests: 1

• Economic activities of the world's population - Population of the Earth 7th grade

  Lessons: 3 Assignments: 8 Tests: 1

• Egypt - Africa 7th grade
  Basic concepts: world economy (WE), international economic relations(IEO); industry of international specialization, international division of labor (ILD), international trade, trade balance, export, import; scientific and technological revolution (STR), characteristic features and components of scientific and technological progress, research and development (R&D); trade and economic blocs (GATT - WTO), international specialization of production (SME), international production cooperation (IPC), transnational corporations (TNCs); open economy, free economic zones (FEZ); geographical "model" of the world economy, "North and South", "center" and "periphery", integration; sectoral structure economy, science intensity, new, old and newest industries, “avant-garde” troika, agricultural, industrial and post-industrial structure of the economy; territorial structure of the economy; old industrial and depressed areas, areas of new development, regional policies of developed and developing countries, “growth poles”, “penetration lines”.

  Skills and abilities: be able to give characteristics of NTR, MH, MEO, MGRT, accompanying them with clear definitions; give comparative characteristics industries of international specialization, sectoral and territorial structures of the economy of developed and developing countries, explain differences, identify trends using statistical, graphic and cartographic material.