Ana Saggioro Garcia - Political Economy of South–South Relations: BRICS and Its Implications for the Global Order, March 19

[Claudia Horn]

Dear All, 

The European and International Studies Department's IPE research group at KCL is pleased to warmly invite you to Professor Ana Saggioro Garcia's guest lecture on the BRICS and global order, on Thursday, March 19.

Link to RSVP and for online participation: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brics-and-its-implications-for-the-global-order-tickets-1984476529721?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Best regards,

Claudia

Ana Saggioro Garcia - Political Economy of South–South Relations: BRICS and Its Implications for the Global Order

March 19 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Bush House (S)2.02), followed by a wine reception (This is a hybrid lecture, with both in-person and online attendance available. Online guests will be provided with a joining link closer to the time.) RSVP link

Hosted by the International Political Economy research group of EIS, co-sponsored by the Global Engagement Partnership Fund and the DID-Global Production, Finance and Labour RG

Ana Saggioro Garcia is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and a faculty member of the Graduate Program in Social Sciences in Development, Agriculture, and Society (CPDA). She coordinates the Center for Advanced Studies (CEA/UFRRJ) and is a collaborating professor at the Institute of International Relations at PUC-Rio. She is a Young Scientist of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and co-coordinates the CLACSO Working Group Lex Mercatoria, Corporate Power, and Human Rights. She also leads the research group Political Economy of South-South Relations.

She previously served as Director of the BRICS Policy Center (2021–2023) and held leadership roles at the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI). She holds a PhD in International Relations from PUC-Rio and an MA in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin. Her research focuses on International Political Economy, Critical Theory, and South-South relations.

Abstract

This paper offers a critical assessment of the BRICS grouping by examining its trajectory, main actors, and contemporary challenges within the evolving international order. While the BRICS initially emerged in the 2000s as a reformist coalition seeking greater representation within existing global governance institutions, particularly after the 2008 global financial crisis, the grouping has gradually assumed a more pronounced geopolitical role. Drawing on a methodological framework structured around three analytical dimensions—geopolitical competition among states, intra-BRICS dynamics, and the social and territorial impacts of BRICS-related investments—the paper seeks to move beyond traditional dichotomies such as North–South and West–East.  The first dimension examines how the BRICS have positioned themselves within global power struggles, including debates on institutional reform, the expansion of the bloc, and efforts to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar through initiatives such as local-currency financial mechanisms. The second dimension analyzes internal asymmetries among BRICS members, particularly trade and investment patterns that reveal China’s central role and the persistence of commodity-based export structures in other member economies. The third dimension adopts a bottom-up perspective, focusing on the socio-environmental consequences of extractive projects and infrastructure investments associated with BRICS corporations and development strategies across the Global South. By examining developments at recent summits in Johannesburg (2023), Kazan (2024), and Rio de Janeiro (2025), the paper highlights both the growing geopolitical relevance of the BRICS and the limits of their reformist agenda. It concludes that while the BRICS represent an important multilateral space with the potential to reshape aspects of global governance, their capacity to challenge existing hierarchies remains partial and contradictory, reflecting both structural asymmetries within the bloc and the broader dynamics of contemporary global capitalism. 

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Claudia Horn, PhD (ORCID)

Lecturer in Political Economy

Department of European and International Studies, King's College London

5.02, 57 Aldwych, North West Wing, Bush House, WC2B 4PA

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