Modern production. Structure of modern production. Problems of modern production. What awaits global industry in the 21st century? Describe one of the world's industries

The constant development of technology every year places increased demands on the economy. This invariably affects the development of the most important sector of the world economy - industry. Today, more than 500 million specialists are employed to ensure its full-fledged operation different levels preparation.

World industrial structure

It is not for nothing that industry is considered one of the leading sectors of the world economy: during the twentieth century, industrial production increased tens of times, and continues to confidently increase its growth rate.

Industrial goods are in great demand on the world market, and developed countries continue to invest significant sums in the development of new industrial technologies and scientific research.

There are three main groups of industries:

• To the primary sphere include old industries: metallurgical, coal, textile, iron ore and shipbuilding. The growth of these industries is noticeably slowing down.
• To the secondary sphere include such new industries as the production of chemical fibers and plastics, the automotive industry, and aluminum production. The development of these industries determined scientific and technological progress in the twentieth century. They continue to grow and develop quite quickly.
• To the newest industries The tertiary sector includes nanotechnology, microbiological industry, computer technology, microelectronics, robotics, aerospace and nuclear production. IN modern world These high-tech industries are the most popular and developing.

Fig.1. The future lies with nanotechnology.

The development scheme for the industrial sector is quite simple and consists in reducing the ratio of old industries towards new ones and, especially, the newest ones.

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Geography of sectors of the world economy

Changes are constantly taking place in the geography of the industrial world. First of all, they are associated with the peculiarities of the distribution of production spheres between the North and the South. The location of the largest industrial areas, which, as a rule, are located in European countries, has a significant influence. East Asia, CIS, North America.

For example, quite recently the industrial structure prevailed in such developed regions as Western Europe, USA and Japan. However, the situation in global industry has changed greatly, and industrial countries today include China and countries that produce and export oil (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria).

It is worth noting that the rich countries of the North occupy a leading position in the production of the latest industrial sectors, while the countries of the South, with rare exceptions, are strong in oil refining, mining, and light industry. The vast majority of various industrial regions are located in the countries of the North, which determine the geography of the world economy.

Fig.2. Oil production and export is the main trump card of developing countries.

Main sectors of the world economy

The global industries include:

• Fuel and energy industry (gas, coal, oil). The main oil exporters are developing countries.

Table of World Oil Reserves and Production

• Electric power industry. The first place is occupied by the production of thermal energy, the second - hydraulic, and the third - nuclear.
• Mining industry. It is the most important supplier of mineral raw materials on the world market. Despite the decline in production rates, it still continues to influence the geography of the world economy and the division of labor.
• Metallurgical industry (ferrous and non-ferrous). Directly depends on iron ore mining and steel smelting. Production growth is noticeably declining.
• Mechanical engineering. It occupies a leading position among other sectors of the world economy. It is in this type of industry, as nowhere else, that the division into all industries into old, new and newest is clearly visible. 90% of all engineering products are produced in developed countries.

Old branches of mechanical engineering have ceased to develop or are in decline (shipbuilding). New industries are still showing slight growth (automotive). The latest developing engineering industries include robotics and electronic engineering.

Fig.3. Shipbuilding is an old branch of mechanical engineering.

• Chemical industry. It is based on the production of polymer materials and petrochemicals.
• Forestry industry. In the North, coniferous wood is mined, and in the South, deciduous wood is mined.
• Textile industry. Includes the production of fabrics from natural and synthetic fibers.

What have we learned?

The main branch of the world economy is industry, which is constantly developing and thereby influences the geography of industrial sectors. Depending on consumer demand and, accordingly, the pace of development, industries are old, new and new. The latter predominate in rich, economically developed countries.

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ME Lecture 2 Nature res sweat world household.doc

Modern industry consists of many independent industries.

An industrial sector is a set of enterprises characterized by the unity of the economic purpose of the products produced, the homogeneity of the processed raw materials, and the commonality technological processes and technical base and professional personnel.

The combination of several specialized industries represents a complex industry (ferrous metallurgy, electrical and thermal power engineering, mechanical engineering, etc.).

The composition and ratio of individual industries, reflecting certain production relationships, the degree of differentiation and specialization of industries characterize the sectoral structure of industry. Depending on the economic purpose of the product, a distinction is made between industries producing means of production and industries producing consumer goods.

Based on the nature of their impact on the subject of labor, industries are divided into mining and processing. The former are engaged in the extraction of natural raw materials (ferrous and non-ferrous metal ores, coal, peat, natural gas, shale), the latter - in the processing of products from extractive industries or agriculture.

The classification of industries is based on the following basic economic principles: the economic purpose of the products produced; the nature of the functioning of products in the production process; uniformity of the intended purpose of the manufactured product, commonality of the processed raw materials, similarity of the technology used; the nature of the impact on the subject of work, etc.

But the largest part of industries is covered by the indicator of the intended purpose of their products.

The role of industry in the world economy is determined by a number of factors"

The level of mechanization (as a product of industry) is growing in all sectors of the economy: for example, agriculture, the construction industry, trade, banking, even households need mechanization tools in increasing volumes;

Natural raw materials (agricultural products) are increasingly being replaced by synthetic raw materials, which is changing the structure of the world economy in favor of industry;

A number of industries and productions are moving into the industrial sphere from other sectors of the economy;

Food products (as traditional agricultural products) increasingly come into consumption after industrial processing.

Without considering in detail all branches of industry, we will focus only on mechanical engineering, since this industry is the material basis for the technical re-equipment of the economy, and this predetermines its leading role in industry as a whole.

The mechanical engineering industry of developed countries and some developing countries is going through a difficult period of comprehensive restructuring. Traditional branches of mechanical engineering are developing intensively, where new technological production methods and advanced equipment are being actively introduced.

The sectoral structure of mechanical engineering can be presented as follows.

1. General mechanical engineering (machine tool building, equipment production, etc.).

2. Electrical industry (including electronics).

3. Transport engineering (automotive industry, aircraft and missile industry, shipbuilding, production of railway equipment, agricultural engineering, production of construction equipment, etc.). The production apparatus of new high-tech industries is being improved, and expenses for all types of R&D in mechanical engineering are increasing.

As a result of the development of scientific and technical progress, the role of mechanical engineering in the economies of developed countries is increasing.

A factor constraining the further increase in the share of mechanical engineering in the manufacturing industry of industrialized countries is the continuing separation from mechanical engineering into the service sector and production infrastructure of functions such as programming and maintenance of electronic computer equipment; designing complex production systems and communication networks; provision of services in engineering, leasing, personnel training; consulting services, etc.

Among the branches of transport engineering, the aerospace industry (ARKI), microelectronics and automotive industry are at the center of modern state industrial policy, because These industries play a key role in the development of not only mechanical engineering, but also the entire economy of the leading Western countries.

State regulation of the development of these industries is carried out in two directions: through stimulating the innovation process; by implementing various measures, including protectionist ones, in order to facilitate competition for national firms in the domestic and foreign markets.

Currently, the ARCP and electrical engineering (including radio electronics) industries account for 44 and 28% in the USA, respectively, in Japan - 25% (electrical engineering), in Germany - 47 and 29%, in France - 50 and 43%, in the UK - 45 and 40%, in Italy - 30% (for each industry) of total government spending on R&D in the manufacturing industry. About 60% of total government expenditures on R&D in US mechanical engineering are directed to the ARCP (75% of the total industry expenditures for these purposes) and are associated mainly with military orders, the bulk of which are carried out by a limited number of large specialized contractors.

The role of agriculture in the world economy. Agro-industrial complex and trends in its development

^ Agro-industrial complex (AIC) is of particular importance in the global economy. It is one of the main national economic complexes that determine the conditions for the maintenance of the life of society. Its significance is not only in meeting people’s needs for food products, but also in the fact that it significantly affects the employment of the population and the efficiency of all national production

The agro-industrial complex is the largest of the main (basic) complexes in the country's global economy.

The agro-industrial complex includes all types of production and production services, the creation and development of which are subordinated to the production of final consumer products from agricultural raw materials. The agro-industrial complex includes three large areas of industries.

The first sphere of the agro-industrial complex is tractor and agricultural engineering; mechanical engineering for the food industry; agrochemistry (production of mineral fertilizers and microbiological industry); feed industry; system of material and technical services for agriculture; reclamation and rural

Construction.

Second sphere - crop production, livestock farming, fishing, forestry

The third sphere of the agro-industrial complex is food industry; refrigeration, storage, specialized transport facilities; trading and other enterprises and organizations involved in bringing the final product to the consumer, including wholesale markets, retail trade and catering. Each area should also include the corresponding branches of science and personnel training."

In economically developed countries, the share of agriculture in the structure of the agro-industrial complex occupies a relatively smaller place both in terms of the cost of products and in terms of the number of people employed in this area.

Once upon a time, the share of agriculture in the GNP or GDP of many countries of the world was not only predominant, but also reached values ​​such as 60 - 80%. Nowadays in developed countries it ranges from 2 to 10%. Thus, the share of agriculture in the US GNP is only 2%, and yet the country produces such a gigantic volume of agricultural products that it allows satisfying the needs of not only 260 million Americans, But"" and another 100 million people. abroad, since the United States is a major exporter of these products.

Agriculture remains one of the leading sectors of material production in the world economy. Currently, due to the intense impact of scientific and technical progress, agriculture is experiencing a period of deep structural restructuring. There has been a transition of agricultural production to the machine stage of development: agriculture is turning into component large agro-industrial complex.

Across the land area, the quality of productive lands varies significantly. Soil fertility depends on many natural factors.

Lands used in agriculture and producing a variety of food products occupy 35% of the world's land fund. They are very different in their natural properties, in their ability to produce cultivated plants or herbs on which livestock is grazed, i.e., in their agro-natural potential.

In the most general terms, lands are divided into two large categories: 1) agricultural, on which cultivated plants are grown, and 2) pastures, intended for grazing livestock.

The most valuable and fertile lands on the planet, used with varying degrees of intensity, amount to about 1.5 billion hectares. They differ greatly in quality, level of productivity and uneven distribution across continents.

If in the whole world there is 0.3 hectares of arable land per inhabitant, then in Asia, where 31% of the world's arable land is concentrated, this figure (0.15 hectares) is the lowest on the planet. In other words, in Asia 1 hectare should feed 7 Human. In densely populated Europe, 1 hectare already feeds 4 people, in South America - 2.0, in North America - almost 1.5 people.

The different sizes of land masses under cultivation on the continents depend not so much on the needs of the population, but on the agro-natural potential of the territory. This is clearly seen in the example of Asia. In the foreign territories of Asia, where over 3.1 billion people currently live, only 17% of the total area is plowed, which is why the rate of per capita provision of arable land for the local population is so low.

The most favorable natural conditions for the development of agriculture are in Europe, where approximately 1/3 of all lands have no serious limiting factors. At the same time, this region has a very high population density. Therefore, despite the significant development of the territory for cultivation, the per capita supply of arable land is not much higher than in Asia - only 0.3 hectares.

Africa and South America are continents whose populations are unable to provide themselves with food, and the size of cultivated land in these regions is more than modest: in Africa only 6% of the total area is plowed, in South America - less than 8%.

At the same time, the use of developed arable land is far from clear. In many areas of the world, the range of irrigated lands is expanding, organic and mineral fertilizers, soil-protective methods of cultivation, and special varieties of cultivated plants are being used. In other words, intensive farming is being introduced, which requires significant investment in each hectare, but also provides a noticeable increase in yield.

According to FAO, over the past 25 years, the total arable area of ​​the world has grown by 140 million hectares, i.e. by 10%. The population increased by 1.3 billion people, or 40%. It turned out to be possible to feed this population only thanks to intensive methods of agriculture. "And 82% of the increase in food was achieved due to the intensification of agriculture and only 12% - due to the extensive expansion of arable land.

Regarding financial results of the entire complex of government measures to regulate agriculture, the general conclusion is disappointing: the flow of funds into agriculture is many times higher than the amounts that go from this industry to the budget. In general, for the OECD, that is, for the 29 most developed Western countries, budget revenues to agriculture are 9 times higher than payments to the budget, and if price subsidies are added to this, then 18 times. By the beginning of the 21st century, a fundamental change in the essence of agricultural production took place. Scientific and technological revolution led to an unprecedented intensification of agricultural production, its organic fusion with industry, which in turn led to serious changes in other areas and sectors of the world economy.

Industry structure: fuel and energy complex

The fuel and energy complex (FEC) plays a vital role in the global economy, since without its products the functioning of all industries without exception is impossible. World demand for primary energy resources (PER), primary energy resources include oil, gas, coal, nuclear and renewable energy sources) in 1995-2015. will grow more slowly than in the 80s (excluding the former USSR), and this trend will continue in the subsequent decades of the 21st century. At the same time, the efficiency of their use will increase, especially in industrialized countries.

According to experts, in the period 1995-2015. the total consumption of all types of PER in the world may increase by approximately 1.6-1.7 times and will amount to about 17 billion tons of fuel equivalent (ce). At the same time, fuel and energy resources of organic origin will remain dominant in the consumption structure (more than -4%). The share of energy from nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power stations and others will not exceed 6%.

In the total volume of production and consumption of PER, oil will retain the leading role, Coal will remain in second place and gas will remain in third place. Nevertheless, the share of oil in the consumption structure will fall from 39.4 to 35% with an increase in the share

gas from 23.7 to 28%. The share of coal will decrease slightly - from 31.7 to 31.2%. A slight increase in the share of inorganic energy resources will occur against the background of a reduction in the share of nuclear energy - from 2.3% in 1995 to 2% by 2015.

The structure of the fuel and energy complex in the world economy is determined by the types of fuel used primary energy and balance between them. Table 6.1. sources of primary energy and their corresponding types are presented secondary energy resulting from the transformation.

Table. Types of primary and secondary energy

At the end of the 90s, as is known, there was a slowdown in economic development in virtually all countries of the world. In OECD countries and, in particular, in Japan (which experienced a deep recession), economic growth averaged 2.2%.

As the rate of economic development decreased, the growth rate of consumption of energy and energy resources decreased. The sharp decline in oil prices that began at the end of 1997 had a certain impact on the consumption volumes of PERs and their structure. Analysts believe that this trend, which persisted until the end of the century, will change at the beginning of the 21st century and prices will go up, amounting to $125-135 per ton. It is expected that oil production in 2001 will increase by 1.1 billion tons. On the contrary, the share of natural gas, both in the structure of consumption and production, will continuously grow. Thus, on average, the share of natural gas in the structure of production increased by 0.1%.

The share of coal in the consumption structure is decreasing, which indicates the replacement of a certain volume of coal with oil and gas.

According to experts, the production and consumption of energy from nuclear and hydroelectric power plants is not enough, their role in the fuel and energy complex of the world economy is still low, and their share in the world fuel and energy balance does not exceed 5.5%.

The electric power industry developed at the fastest pace in the 50s-60s. XX century. Almost during this period, electricity production doubled, and countries began to switch to energy-saving technologies. The leaders in energy production are traditionally:

USA - 3.0 trillion kW/h; Russian Federation - 1.1 trillion kW/h; Japan - 1.0 trillion kW/h; China - 0.66 trillion kW/h.

The structure of consumption of primary energy resources in the world economy is as follows:

Oil - 41.2%;

Solid fuel - 28.3%;

Gas - 22.3%;

Nuclear energy - 9%;

Hydroelectric power stations and other non-traditional sources constitute the rest of consumption.

Geographically, energy consumption in the world economy is as follows:

Developed countries - 53%;

Developing - 29%;

CIS and Eastern European countries - 18%.

The world's main sources of energy resources are:

Oil: Samotlor (Western Siberia, Russia); Saudi Arabia and Kuwait;

Gas: Komi Republic, Urengoy (Russia); Holland;

During 1998, the volume of proven recoverable reserves of oil and natural gas increased slightly. For oil as of 1.1999 they amounted to 141.7 billion tons versus 139.7 billion tons

Energy

The annual energy demand of the world economy is estimated at 11.7 billion tons of oil equivalent.

Thus, despite the use of progressive energy-saving technologies, energy consumption in the world is increasing, the expansion of the scale of global production and consumption also increases the need for energy (especially in developing countries).

However, by the beginning of the 21st century, the overall demand for energy resources is expected to fall.

Under the conditions of scientific and technical progress, the role of nuclear energy in the fuel and energy balance of the world economy has increased (the development of this source is hampered by its unsafety for the environment)

The resources of a modern fuel base for nuclear energy are determined by the cost of uranium mining at costs not exceeding $130 per 1 kg. Energy production at nuclear power plants under construction depends little on cost of raw materials.

The world economy is a global economy that includes the value of all goods and services provided. Usually the latter is measured in US dollars for ease of comparison of national indicators. Concepts such as international and world economy are often used as synonymous terms. However, in the specialized literature it is customary to separate them. International economy as a term is used in contrast to national economy, while the world economy represents the totality of production of all countries.

Characteristic

It is customary to evaluate the world economic economy in money, even in cases where this is difficult to do. For example, drugs and other goods sold on the black market are often not counted. The world economic system is characterized by the following features:

• Strengthening the interconnectedness of states and deepening transnationalization.
• Formation of relatively closed trade and economic regional blocs and integration groupings.
• World economic countries are increasingly liberalizing their policies and opening up their markets.
• The influence of the cyclical development of economies on the entire system.
• The dominance of the intellectual and information factor in national and global development.
• Increasing income gaps within countries and in the international community.

Brief information

• Population – 7.095 trillion.
• Gross domestic product: nominal – $77.609 trillion. USA - at purchasing power parity - 106,998.
• GDP growth – 3.4%.
• Gross domestic product per capita: nominal – $10,857. USA - at purchasing power parity - 15,073.
• The number of dollar millionaires is 0.15%.
• People who earn less than $2 a day – 3.25 billion.
• The unemployment rate is 5.4%.

Prerequisites for the occurrence

The world economy began to take shape a long time ago, but was finally formed only at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Great geographical discoveries and the emergence of modern vehicles and deepening market relations. The Peace of Westphalia, with the recognition of the sovereignty of states, marked the beginning of the existence of the world as a system. At this time, exploration and capture of new lands is completed. The sectors of the world economy were much less diverse then than they are now. The structure was also different. Agriculture dominated, and industry was dominated by such branches of the world economy as coal mining, ferrous metallurgy, and simple mechanical engineering. In those distant times, transnational companies were few in number, international organizations and integration associations practically did not exist. However, the world was in many ways much more liberal than it is now. It existed on a political and economic basis.

Structure of the world economy

In scientific literature and in everyday life, concepts such as “world economy” and “international economy” are increasingly used, but there is still no common understanding of their essence. This is due to the fact that they are characterized by a multiplicity of elements included in them, multi-level and hierarchical nature. The structure of the world economy includes the following components:

1. Territory.
2. Natural resource potential.
3. Capital (the accumulated supply of funds in productive, monetary and commodity form, necessary for the creation of commodity goods).
4. Labor resources and workforce.
5. Infrastructure.
6. Technologies (scientific methods of achieving practical goals, including entrepreneurial abilities).

Sectoral and functional dimension

The role of the world economy in the functioning of individual national economies is increasingly increasing. This is associated with increased interest in its study. It is customary to distinguish the sectoral, functional and territorial structure of the world economy. The first characterizes the relationship between various divisions of the economy. There are several separate areas. Primary industries include mining and agriculture. Secondary – manufacturing. The tertiary sector includes transport, communications and services. Quaternary – management, education, science and culture. They are all closely interconnected. However, the trend is a gradual decrease in the importance of the primary and secondary spheres and an increase in the tertiary and quaternary spheres.

The functional structure of the world economy reflects the international aspect of the division of labor. Each state plays its role, specializing in one or another production. However, the geography of the world economy shows that the “lower floors” (mining metal ores, growing crops) are occupied by developing countries. And they are always trying to win a higher place.

Geography of the world economy

The territorial structure reflects the relationship in the nature of the placement of states in the “Center - Periphery” system, as well as by areas of specialization. For all sections it is expressed in natural and monetary terms. Using these indicators, we can characterize the main types of proportions:

• Renewable. They represent the most important ratio in the productive forces of society and significantly depend on the domestic and foreign policies of the country.
• Intersectoral. Reflect the division of social production into large divisions (agriculture, industry, services). Within them, industries are distinguished.
• Territorial. Reflect the relationship between spatial structures farms. It allows us to consider the location of productive forces, the distribution of centers of economic gravity and activity.
• Functional. In the global aspect, the existence of such an aspect is manifested in the fact that the “lower floors” are concentrated in developing countries. The development of the world economy is the story of the struggle for a “higher” place.
• In foreign economic relations. They characterize the import and export of products (between countries and regions), reflecting the openness of national economies and their dependence on imports.

Main areas

All countries of the world are divided into three large groups in accordance with their socio-economic development. The first includes states that are members of the OECD. The second includes countries that were formed after the collapse of the USSR. They are called states with economies in transition. Developing countries, in turn, include four subtypes: newly industrialized, “rich islands,” oil exporters, and the weakest. The criteria for classifying states according to spheres of the world economy are the nature of their economy (market or transition) and socio-economic level. The indicators of the latter are:

• The volume of gross domestic product and national income per capita.
• Total population and percentage of working people.
• Sectoral structure of gross domestic product.
• Level of consumption of material goods.
• Development of social and industrial infrastructure.
• Level of education and culture of the population.
• Social differentiation and social protection of citizens.

Laws, patterns and principles of development

The modern world economy is a dialectical struggle between unity and opposites. One of the main contradictions in the development of human society is the difference in interests. On the one hand, we have the social nature of production. On the other hand, a private form of appropriation of its results. In addition, the formation of the world economy occurs in a constant struggle between countries for “storeys”. Scientific and technological progress not only does not reduce the severity of this contradiction, but, on the contrary, strengthens it. Therefore, the gap between levels of socio-economic development is only growing. The functioning of the world economy is influenced by a number of laws: cost, international competition, uneven growth, internationalization of production.

The main principles are the following:

• Saving socially useful costs (according to A. Weber).
• Possibility of extracting maximum profit (according to A. Lesh).
• Ecological principle of rational use and protection of the environment.
• Accounting for the international geographical division of labor.
• Maintaining ecological balance.
• Rationality of production location.
• Limitation of centralism.

Scorecard

The level of development of the world economy, the proportions of its sectoral, functional and territorial structure can be expressed in physical and monetary terms. The most important indicators since 1950 are gross domestic product and national product. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a year in a particular country or region. When calculating this indicator, the nationality of the subjects is not important. GNP is the total value of goods and services produced during the year by legal and individuals, registered in the state. When calculating this indicator, nationality is important, and the territorial location of the subjects is not taken into account. If there are many foreign enterprises and workers in the country, then the GDP will be greater than the GNP.

An important indicator of the functioning and levels of development of the world economy is the structure of gross domestic product and employment. It gives an idea of ​​the levels of labor productivity in economic sectors in various regions and in the world as a whole. Thus, a group of the most developed countries is distinguished. Based on the share of employment in agriculture, all countries are divided into four categories.

Stages of economic growth

Human society has gone through several stages in its development. According to Marxist dialectics, these are historical social formations: primitive communal, slaveholding, feudal, capitalist, communist. Each of them corresponds to a certain level of development of productive forces and social relations. There is also a civilizational approach. According to him, individual elements The world economy began to take shape back in the days of the Roman Empire. It received significant impetus during the era of great geographical discoveries. There are three stages of development of the world economy. The pre-industrial stage lasted more than three thousand years. At this time, manual labor dominated. The vast majority of the population was employed in agriculture. The standard of living of most ordinary people in this period is extremely low. Wealth was determined by the amount of land and livestock. A person's place in society was determined by the class to which he belonged from birth.

The industrial stage of development began about 300 years ago. It took place in four stages:

• Formation of simple and labor-intensive industries.
• Formation of basic spheres of production.
• Comprehensive electrification and mechanization of the economy.
• Widespread automation of the economy.

It is believed that the post-industrial stage begins after humanity or an individual state reaches such a level of development when less than 15% of the population is engaged in material production. The USA, Germany and Japan have come close to this stage. The majority of their population is employed in the service sector. However, many researchers note that so far no country in the world has achieved the indicators of a post-industrial society. In their opinion, in the case of the United States, we are still talking about the final stage of the previous stage.

Global problems

In the process of functioning, the national economies of individual countries have to face many problems of an exogenous and endogenous nature. The development of the world economy largely depends on their effective resolution. Global problems are interconnected issues on a planetary scale that threaten humanity with serious regression or death. They require an urgent and urgent solution through the joint efforts of the entire world community. Among them are the following:

1. The problem of overcoming poverty and backwardness. It is typical for developing countries. As you know, 2/3 of the entire world population live in them. Therefore, it is often called the problem of overcoming the backwardness of developing countries. Today, not only has it not been resolved, but it has also become more acutely felt, despite the efforts of the IMF, IBRD and other regional financial and credit institutions.
2. The problem of peace and demilitarization. In the last century, with the invention of nuclear weapons, humanity for the first time faced a direct threat of annihilation. Today, the issue of local conflicts, war refugees and terrorism is becoming increasingly acute.
3. Food and demographic problem. This issue is most acute in developing countries, where part of the population does not even have access to clean drinking water.
4. The problem of natural resources. Implementation comes to the fore alternative sources energy.
5. Environmental problem. As a result of irrational environmental management, it can become a threat to human health and slow down the further development of the global economy.

Sustainable Development Strategy

It is believed that the stages of the world economy change in accordance with the requirements of the time. Progress directly depends on this. Sustainable development involves economic growth that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Central to this issue is the consideration of long-term environmental impacts. In addition, it is important to ensure stability and reduce the negative impact of the cyclical nature of business activity, since, due to globalization, problems in one country necessarily lead to aggravation of the situation in others.

The modern world economy is a complex organism, the functioning of which depends on a number of factors. And the increasing interdependence of national economies leads to the fact that problems in one sector or country immediately affect all other participants in the division of labor.

>> General characteristics world industry

Chapter 5

Geography of world industry

§ 1. General characteristics of world industry

With the transition from the industrial to the post-industrial stage of development of the world economy, the growth rate of industrial production began to decline. As a result, its share in the structure of the high-volume MP decreased from 38% in 1980 to 32% in 2008. Nevertheless industry remains the leading branch of material production. It (including construction) employs 500 million people. Manufactured products account for 80-90% of all world trade in goods.

In the sectoral structure of the world industry, three groups of industries can be distinguished. Firstly, the old industries that arose in the 19th century - coal, iron ore, metallurgy, shipbuilding, textiles. Secondly, new industries that determined scientific and technological progress in the first half of the 20th century - automotive, aluminum, and some sub-sectors of the chemical industry. Thirdly, the newest industries that emerged already in the era of scientific and technological revolution and mostly related to knowledge-intensive industries or high technology industries - microelectronics, computer technology, robotics, computer science industry, nuclear and aerospace production, chemistry of organic synthesis, microbiological industry - genuine “catalysts” of scientific and technological revolution. They are generally growing at the fastest and most consistent rates these days. Therefore, their share in world industrial production is increasing, while the share of new and especially old industries is decreasing.

Changes have also come in geography industry of the world. They are associated primarily with the changing relationship between the countries of the North and the South. Over the past two to three decades, industry in developing countries has been growing at a much higher rate than in economically developed countries, especially those that have entered the post-industrial stage of development. Therefore, the share of developing countries in world industrial production increased from 15% in 1950 to 40% in 2005. Nevertheless, the leading positions remain with economically developed countries (Table 26).

Table 26

Ten countries leading in global industrial production (2006)

From the table data it follows that the top ten countries in global industrial production account for 47% of all production. But so far it includes only two developing countries, which together account for about 11% of global industrial output.

It should also be borne in mind that the countries of the North occupy an uncompetitive first place in the output of knowledge-intensive industries, while in the countries of the South (with the exception of the newly industrialized and four key developing countries) the mining, oil refining, light and food industries predominate. The majority of the world's industrial regions, which determine the territorial structure, are located in the countries of the North. world economy. In the countries of the South, industrial areas with a leading role of mining industries predominate.

Maksakovsky V.P., Petrova N.N., Physical and economic geography of the world. - M.:Iris-press, 2010. - 368 pp.: ill.

In the modern world it is difficult to underestimate, because it is this sector of production that determines the level and quality of our lives. Industry is a vital part of the world economy, and at the national economic level it is an industry on which the achievements of the entire national economy of any state depend.

With the development of industry, human lifestyle has changed dramatically.

It was the industrial revolution of the second half of the 17th century. marked the transition from an agrarian type of society to an industrial one. Labor productivity in material production, as the main indicator of the fruitfulness of people's economic activity, is significantly higher than in agriculture or the service sector. All industries are characterized by stable growth in production volumes. At the same time, in highly developed countries the number of workers employed in industrial production is declining. This effect of the development of modern industry is designated by the term “deserted growth”.

Such a high importance of industry is understandable and justified: it is one of the main customers of all other sectors of the economy, as well as a force capable of driving technological research of varying degrees of complexity. It is in this sphere of human activity that all the latest developments and achievements of scientific and technological progress are first introduced. In this regard, the main feature of the industrial world today is the stable growth of industries with a high degree of knowledge intensity, which create expensive and, as a rule, innovative products. Small businesses and medium-sized businesses play a big role here, providing the population with new jobs and increasing their share in the creation of gross domestic product from year to year.

The impetus for the arrival and strong foundation of private business in industry was its comprehensive support from the states of economically highly developed countries, which was reflected primarily in the creation of the most favorable environment for doing business.
Despite the announced transition to a post-industrial society, in which the primary role is given to the service sector, the expected decline in the importance of industry has not occurred.

And although the world's gross domestic product largely forms the services sector, trade on international markets is still represented by industrial products. In addition, some types of economic activities classified as services according to the accepted classification are in fact closely related to industry. For example, production services provided by maintenance companies or commissioning services.
Thus, it is industry that is the main factor in the development of human society, the importance of which will only increase with the growth of the population and its needs.