The Coffee Industry Is Unequal. A Marxist Economic Theory Explains How. Highlight

Unequal exchange is part of the wider World Systems Theory, developed by the sociologist Immanuel Wallerstein in the 1970s. It views the global economy as a single interconnected system made up of core, periphery, and semi-periphery countries. Core countries are the richest, most developed, and most powerful, while periphery countries are the least powerful, and generally rely on exporting raw materials and providing cheap labour. Semi-periphery countries are somewhere in between, and act as a buffer between the two.