Is World Really Borderless? - An Analysis from the Fourth World Perspective

Abstract

This research paper is an attempt to examine the empirical reality of the argument leveled for and against the existence of borderless world. This examination is the prime objective of this paper. The paper is primarily conceptual in nature. The use of secondary data as a prime source of analysis has helped understand the way the trade is concentrated in various trading blocks. Since the author is convinced about the fact that the ‘Fourth World’ is largely precluded from the expected scenario and the facility of free flow of goods and services, a case study method is used to understand the significant issues of the ‘Fourth World’ countries. The first part has discussed a theoretical framework that consists of the idea of borderless world. In addition to this, a Theory of Trading Blocks is incorporated in the first part of this paper. The second part of this paper includes an analytical framework which looks into the nature of the Fourth World and has also discussed the African continent as a case against the proposition of the possibility of the world being borderless or otherwise. The third part of this paper includes implications, conclusions and recommendations which make a summary evaluation of the proposition To examine the research question ‘Is World Really Borderless?’ and the hypothesis ‘yes, it is partially borderless’, this paper, in its first part, has examined the concept of ‘borderless world developed by Kenichi Ohame (Ohame, 1990, 99). In addition to this theoretical framework, the author has used ‘A Theory of Trading Blocks’ to understand how and to what extent countries trade in blocks and as such what implications it has on the idea of the world being borderless. This part includes the secondary data on ‘regionalization of trade and high concentration ratios of trade carried out within a boundary of a trading block. In its second part, the research paper has enquired the issue of the present state of the Fourth World in the context of the possibility of it being a part of global integration. To prove that the hypothesis is partially true, the author has discussed the case of the African continent to illustrate the relative position of the Fourth World in today’s much debated idea of economic integration. In its third part a conclusion is drawn which states that there are definite efforts made by countries towards making this world borderless but such efforts are lesser than required and the Fourth World is yet to be integrated into the mainstream of borderless and much comprehensive economic transactions.

Keywords: Borderless World, Forth World, Frontier Economies, Concentration Ratios, Trading Blocks

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