Announcement of the November, 18th Session: Jennifer Pédussel Wu on BRICS enlargement and technological trade of latin american countries

The next session of our BRICS Seminar will be held on Tuesday, November 18th, 6:00 PM at the Maison de la Recherche de l’Inalco, 2 Rue de Lille (75007). 

We will welcome 

Jennifer Pédussel Wu, 

IPE, Berlin School of Economics and Law; Paris Sorbonne Nord, Unité de Recherche ACT; Aletheia Research Institution

On the following topic: 

Redefining Global Trade Patterns: BRICS+ and Technological Trade in Latin America

Ignacio Silva Neira (IPE, Berlin School of Economics and Law; University of the Basque Country; Aletheia Research Institution) and Jennifer Pédussel Wu, (IPE, Berlin School of Economics and Law; Paris Sorbonne Nord, Unité de Recherche ACT; Aletheia Research Institution)

Abstract:

In 2024, five new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) joined the original BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), reinforcing the group’s aspiration to consolidate itself as a relevant global actor. In this context, Latin American countries face new opportunities and challenges in positioning their exports within an increasingly multipolar trading system. 

The BRICS+ group now accounts for roughly one third of global GDP and nearly half of the world’s population, yet its internal heterogeneity raises questions about the implications for developing regions whose exports are largely concentrated in natural resources. This study examines the trade insertion of Latin American countries by analyzing how their export structures—particularly the prevalence of resource-based goods—differ when oriented towards BRICS versus G7 markets. 

Using a unique dataset expanded to include technologically innovative products, we estimate the determinants of export intensity with a focus on the technological content of traded goods. Employing modified gravity models, we assess whether integration with these two blocs offers distinct pathways for upgrading into higher-value segments of trade. Our findings reveal persistent structural constraints: while both blocs demand resource-intensive exports from Latin America, opportunities to expand mid- and high-tech exports remain limited. 

Results suggest that R&D activities and domestic technological capacities do not translate into greater high-tech export performance, especially toward G7 countries, while no significant upgrading patterns emerge in BRICS markets either. These outcomes highlight the structural difficulties Latin American economies face in moving up the value chain and illustrate that insertion into global trade continues to be shaped more by the nature of demand in destination markets than by technology adoption at home.

Link to the presentation : 

Jennifer Pedussel Wu November 2025 Inalco BRICS_jpw

 

About Prof. Doctor Jennifer Pédussel Wu : 

Jennifer Pédussel Wu joined the Berlin School of Economics and Law in 2008 as a Professor of International Trade and Production. Previously, she was a Professor of Economics at the Ecole des Dirigeants et Createurs d’Entreprise, Paris and an Assistant Professor at the American University of Paris. She has also been a Senior Fellow at the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI), Bonn (Germany). She holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Oberlin College (1990), a M.A. degree in Mathematical Behavior Science (1998) and a Ph.D. degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine (2001).

Next sessions:

  • 3/12, Maison de la recherche : Bruno de Conti (Université de Campinas, Brésil) sur les efforts des BRICS pour transformer le système monétaire et financier international
  • 17/12, Maison de la recherche : Bruno Jetin (Université Paris Nord), theme Asie du Sud Est. 

 


OpenEdition vous propose de citer ce billet de la manière suivante :
Julien Vercueil (12 novembre 2025). Announcement of the November, 18th Session: Jennifer Pédussel Wu on BRICS enlargement and technological trade of latin american countries. BRICS et économies émergentes. Consulté le 22 janvier 2026 à l’adresse https://doi.org/10.58079/154pm


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