From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution

The incorporation of South Africa into the BRIC in 2011 —thereby transforming it into BRICS— represents a key milestone for understanding how institutional enlargement processes operate within frameworks characterized by informality and flexibility. This study seeks to answer the following research...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Guerrero, Mario
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: EDUCC - Editorial de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba 2025
Materias:
BRICS
South Africa
memberships
international institutions
Sudáfrica
membresías
instituciones internacionales
Acceso en línea:https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161
Aporte de:
Studia Politicae de Universidad Católica de Córdoba
id I38-R402-article-6161
record_format ojs
institution Universidad Católica de Córdoba
institution_str I-38
repository_str R-402
container_title_str Studia Politicae
language Español
format Artículo revista
topic BRICS
South Africa
memberships
international institutions
BRICS
Sudáfrica
membresías
instituciones internacionales
spellingShingle BRICS
South Africa
memberships
international institutions
BRICS
Sudáfrica
membresías
instituciones internacionales
Guerrero, Mario
From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
topic_facet BRICS
South Africa
memberships
international institutions
BRICS
Sudáfrica
membresías
instituciones internacionales
author Guerrero, Mario
author_facet Guerrero, Mario
author_sort Guerrero, Mario
title From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
title_short From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
title_full From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
title_fullStr From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
title_full_unstemmed From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
title_sort from bric to brics: south africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution
description The incorporation of South Africa into the BRIC in 2011 —thereby transforming it into BRICS— represents a key milestone for understanding how institutional enlargement processes operate within frameworks characterized by informality and flexibility. This study seeks to answer the following research question: why was South Africa admitted as a full member of the BRICS, despite not meeting certain objective economic weight criteria compared to other emerging economies? Based on this inquiry, the central objective of the study is to analyze the factors that made its accession possible, taking into account the institutional and political context in which it occurred. Our main hypothesis is that, in the absence of shared formal rules for the admission of new members —and in an environment marked by the growing prestige of the BRICS among Global South countries— South Africa was incorporated due to the convergence of three core factors: (a) the symbolic, economic, and strategic value it offered to the BRIC collective; (b) the particular national interests of each founding member, along with South Africa's interests in relation to them; and (c) the existence of shared institutional antecedents in cooperative frameworks —notably IBSA and BASIC— which fostered a space of mutual trust. Methodologically, the study adopts a case study approach with a historical-analytical perspective, focusing on the period 2002–2011, and relies on relevant primary and secondary sources to reconstruct the decision-making process that led to South Africa's integration into the BRICS. The analysis sheds light on the informal and political logic underpinning the BRICS’ expansion and offers insights into future patterns of institutional enlargement in a transforming global order.
publisher EDUCC - Editorial de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba
publishDate 2025
url https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161
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first_indexed 2026-02-15T05:10:09Z
last_indexed 2026-02-15T05:10:09Z
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spelling I38-R402-article-61612025-12-23T22:02:57Z From BRIC to BRICS: South Africa and the reasons for its incorporation into the institution Pasando de BRIC a BRICS: Sudáfrica y las razones de su incorporación a la institución Guerrero, Mario BRICS South Africa memberships international institutions BRICS Sudáfrica membresías instituciones internacionales The incorporation of South Africa into the BRIC in 2011 —thereby transforming it into BRICS— represents a key milestone for understanding how institutional enlargement processes operate within frameworks characterized by informality and flexibility. This study seeks to answer the following research question: why was South Africa admitted as a full member of the BRICS, despite not meeting certain objective economic weight criteria compared to other emerging economies? Based on this inquiry, the central objective of the study is to analyze the factors that made its accession possible, taking into account the institutional and political context in which it occurred. Our main hypothesis is that, in the absence of shared formal rules for the admission of new members —and in an environment marked by the growing prestige of the BRICS among Global South countries— South Africa was incorporated due to the convergence of three core factors: (a) the symbolic, economic, and strategic value it offered to the BRIC collective; (b) the particular national interests of each founding member, along with South Africa's interests in relation to them; and (c) the existence of shared institutional antecedents in cooperative frameworks —notably IBSA and BASIC— which fostered a space of mutual trust. Methodologically, the study adopts a case study approach with a historical-analytical perspective, focusing on the period 2002–2011, and relies on relevant primary and secondary sources to reconstruct the decision-making process that led to South Africa's integration into the BRICS. The analysis sheds light on the informal and political logic underpinning the BRICS’ expansion and offers insights into future patterns of institutional enlargement in a transforming global order. La incorporación de Sudáfrica al BRIC en 2011 —transformándolo en BRICS— constituye un hito clave para comprender cómo operan los procesos de ampliación institucional en marcos dominados por la informalidad y la flexibilidad. Este trabajo se propone responder a la siguiente pregunta: ¿por qué Sudáfrica fue incorporada como miembro pleno del BRICS, a pesar de no cumplir con ciertos criterios objetivos de peso económico frente a otros países emergentes? Partiendo de esta inquietud, el objetivo central del estudio es analizar los factores que hicieron posible su incorporación, considerando el contexto institucional y político en el que esta se produjo. Nuestra hipótesis principal parte de la idea de que, en ausencia de reglas formales compartidas para el ingreso de nuevos miembros, y en un entorno marcado por el creciente prestigio del BRICS entre países del Sur Global, Sudáfrica fue incorporada por causa de la convergencia de tres núcleos de factores: a) el valor simbólico, económico y estratégico que ofrecía al colectivo BRIC; b) los intereses particulares de cada uno de los miembros fundadores, junto a los de Sudáfrica en relación con ellos; y c) la existencia de antecedentes institucionales compartidos en materia de cooperación —principalmente IBSA y BASIC— que generaron un espacio de confianza mutua. Metodológicamente hablando, el trabajo adopta un enfoque de estudio de caso con perspectiva histórico-analítica, centrado en el periodo 2002–2011, y se apoya en fuentes primarias y secundarias relevantes para reconstruir el proceso de decisión que llevó a Sudáfrica a integrarse al BRICS. El análisis permite comprender la lógica informal y política que guía la expansión del BRICS y ofrece claves para anticipar patrones futuros de ampliación institucional en un escenario global en transformación. EDUCC - Editorial de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba 2025-12-20 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf text/html application/epub+zip https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161 10.22529/sp.2025.66.04 Studia Politicae; Núm. 66 (2025): Invierno 2025; 105-144 2408-4182 1669-7405 spa https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161/8980 https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161/8981 https://revistas.bibdigital.uccor.edu.ar/index.php/SP/article/view/6161/8982 Derechos de autor 2025 Mario Guerrero https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

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