Conference Participation

Continuing Inequality and Economic Justice Examined in Different Contexts

Paper: Global Stratification Economics and International Extraction

Abstract: Stratification Economics emphasizes the central role of group identity and the ways in which group formation can emerge and persist through the material advantages accrued by a dominant group. In the context of international inequality, the dominant group has historically been the Western world, although in recent decades new actors, particularly in Asia, have risen to comparable positions of global influence. Explaining international inequality through a stratification lens requires that we contextualize and historically ground processes of group-based extraction. Within this framework, the highly contested role of slavery in the rise of the West is indispensable. Economists remain deeply divided on this question, and we engage directly with these debates. We also address and critique neo-institutionalist explanations of international inequality, highlighting their limitations in accounting for persistent group-based disparities. Finally, we examine contemporary mechanisms of stratification, including Global Value Chains, as modern channels through which unequal relations are reproduced. In short, this paper advances a new economic framework for understanding the development and persistence of international inequality.

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