"World-systems theory (also known as world-systems analysis or the world-systems perspective) is a multidisciplinary approach to world history and social change which emphasizes the world-system (and not nation states) as the primary (but not exclusive) unit of social analysis."
It examines the social dynamics of globalization and the role of different actors and institutions in shaping global processes.
Globalization: The process by which economies, cultures, and societies become integrated through a network of international trade, communication, and transportation.
Colonialism: The practice of acquiring and maintaining political control over another country, often through military force, and exploiting its resources for the benefit of the colonizing country.
Imperialism: A policy or practice of extending a country's power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.
Development: The process by which a country or region improves its economic, social, and political well-being.
Global inequality: The unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and wealth among nations and within nations.
Global poverty: A condition where people lack the basic necessities of life, including food, water, shelter, and medical care.
International relations: The study of the interactions between nations and their governments, including diplomacy, foreign policy, and war.
Transnationalism: The process by which individuals and groups maintain social, cultural, economic, and political ties across national borders.
Migration: The movement of people from one place to another, either within a country or across national borders.
Global culture: The spread of cultural practices, values, and beliefs across national borders.
Global governance: The institutions and processes that regulate global affairs, including international organizations, treaties, and agreements.
Environmental issues: The effects of human activity on the natural environment, including climate change, pollution, and resource depletion.
Global health: The study of the health status of populations across the world and the factors that determine health outcomes.
Social movements: Collective efforts to promote or resist social change, often related to issues of justice, equality, and human rights.
Global communication: The exchange of information and ideas across national borders, including the role of media and technology.
"'World-system' refers to the inter-regional and transnational division of labor, which divides the world into core countries, semi-periphery countries, and the periphery countries."
"Core countries focus on higher-skill, capital-intensive production..."
"...and the rest of the world focuses on low-skill, labor-intensive production and extraction of raw materials."
"This constantly reinforces the dominance of the core countries."
"Individual states can gain or lose their core (semi-periphery, periphery) status over time."
"This structure is unified by the division of labor."
"It is a world-economy rooted in a capitalist economy."
"...this status has passed from the Netherlands, to the United Kingdom and (most recently) to the United States."
"Components of the world-systems analysis are longue durée by Fernand Braudel, 'development of underdevelopment' by Gunder Frank, and the single-society assumption."
"Longue durée is the concept of the gradual change through the day-to-day activities by which social systems are continually reproduced."
"'Development of underdevelopment' described that the economic processes in the periphery are the opposite of the development in the core."
"Poorer countries are impoverished to enable a few countries to get richer."
"The single-society assumption opposes the multiple-society assumption."
"...includes looking at the world as a whole."
"World-systems theory has been examined by many political theorists and sociologists to explain the reasons for the rise and fall of states, income inequality, social unrest, and imperialism."