Status Competition: The BRICS’ Quest for Influence in Global Governance

Status Competition: The BRICS’ Quest for Influence in Global Governance
Authors: Haans J. Freddy & C. Joshua Thomas
Journal: China Report
Volume & Issue: Volume 59, Issue 4,
Published: August 2023

This study examines the role of BRICS in global governance, particularly in the context of the 14th BRICS Summit held in China on June 23–24, 2022. The rise of emerging powers is reshaping international influence, shifting power from the Global North to the Global South.

The article highlights BRICS alongside other groupings such as G7, G20, MIKTA, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as key actors in global governance. It frames BRICS’ international engagement as a form of status competition, where rising powers aim to assert influence and challenge established powers.

The paper explores potential consequences of this shift, including the possibility of tensions or conflicts between established global powers and emerging nations. It emphasizes the strategic and political significance of BRICS’ collective actions in international institutions, policy-making, and global economic governance.

Overall, the study situates BRICS as both a driver of South–South cooperation and a catalyst in the broader transformation of the global power hierarchy. It suggests that understanding BRICS’ influence requires analyzing not only economic and political capabilities but also their ambitions in global status competition.