Question

In 2 sentences, briefly explain word's system theory.

Answer 1

World-systems theory, developed by Immanuel Wallerstein, explains global social change as a single capitalist world-economy divided into core, semi-periphery, and periphery zones whose roles—capital-intensive production and domination (core), intermediary functions (semi-periphery), and labor/resource extraction (periphery)—produce unequal exchange and persistent structural inequalities. It emphasizes long-term historical processes and external economic relations over national boundaries, arguing that economic dynamics drive political and social transformations across societies.