Open AccessCovid-19 and Semi-Periphery
Author(s) -
Daniel Blinder,
Lautaro Zubeldía,
Sofya Surtayeva
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of world-systems research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.219
H-Index - 2
ISSN - 1076-156X
DOI - 10.5195/jwsr.2021.1049
Subject(s) - geopolitics , context (archaeology) , covid-19 , pandemic , order (exchange) , world order , political science , business , regional science , economy , economic growth , geography , medicine , virology , economics , law , outbreak , politics , disease , archaeology , finance , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has disturbed the order of the world-system. While central countries—through their pharmaceutical multinationals—focused on the development of vaccines, semi-peripheral and peripheral countries fulfill another role, either by offering an environment for trials, or by inserting themselves in the hierarchical global order as a hub for research, development, or production of the candidate vaccines. This paper focuses on the analysis of the geopolitics of the world-system regarding production and participation in the clinical trials of vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 of Oxford University-AstraZeneca, BioNTech-Pfizer, and Sinopharm in Argentina. This is a case analysis of the Argentine semi-peripheral context, the local and global pharmaceutical industry, and the geopolitical order. We conclude that Argentina, which has scientific and industrial capabilities to manufacture vaccines, has joined in global value chains on the dependence side, deepening the scientific and technological gap vis-à-vis the central countries.