The BRICS have lately been going through a rough time, causing many to doubt that some members – namely, Russia and Brazil – even belong in the club of "major emerging economies." The skeptics are wrong.
MANCHESTER – This year’s meeting of the BRICS in India is taking place just a fortnight after the 15th anniversary of the creation of the term “BRICs,” which I coined to refer to the major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (South Africa was added in 2010). Recently, my brief tenure in the British government came to an end, following the completion of an independent review on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that I had been chairing. As I ponder what to do next, and as the BRICS leaders meet, I can’t help but wonder about the term’s meaning today. Have these large and promising emerging economies fulfilled expectations?
MANCHESTER – This year’s meeting of the BRICS in India is taking place just a fortnight after the 15th anniversary of the creation of the term “BRICs,” which I coined to refer to the major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (South Africa was added in 2010). Recently, my brief tenure in the British government came to an end, following the completion of an independent review on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that I had been chairing. As I ponder what to do next, and as the BRICS leaders meet, I can’t help but wonder about the term’s meaning today. Have these large and promising emerging economies fulfilled expectations?