Describe the three zones of world systems theory and give an example of a country in each zone, explaining why it is in that zone.

What will be an ideal response?

According to WST, the world is divided into three economic zones: the core, the semi-periphery, and the periphery. These zones divide up the world’s production similar to a division of labor, with each zone producing specific types of products. There is a hierarchy to these zones and to the products they produce.
The core states are the wealthy, capitalist countries. These states tend to make first-generation products that provide the highest level of profits. First-generation products right now would include iPhones, iPads, and other technology-based products, financial instruments (stocks, bonds, etc.), pharmaceuticals, and advanced military weapons. All these products are cutting-edge technologies that have been developed in core states. Sometimes referred to as secondary goods because they require some processing or building, they all have value added by the labor that is used to make them. They also provide the biggest profit margins to the core states. They use cheap raw materials from peripheral countries, and add their technology to add value to the materials and produce highly profitable products. Japan is a core state because Japan makes highly technological, cutting-edge products that make a great deal of profit because of the high level of expertise and skill needed by workers who produce them.
The periphery are the poor states. Peripheral states tend not to produce manufactures but instead export raw materials—sometimes called primary goods—to the core and, to a lesser extent, the semi-periphery. Peripheral states produce raw materials or cheap labor that benefits the rest of the world but provides little profit to the producing state. Examples of peripheral states include Honduras, Kenya, Iraq, and Vietnam. These states all produce raw materials or cheap labor that benefits the rest of the world but provides little profit to the producing state.
Semi-peripheral states act as the middle ground between the core and the periphery. They tend to make second-generation products that are profitable but not as much so as products made in the core. Examples of these products are automobiles and components for electronics. Examples of countries in the semi-periphery include China (although its economy continues to advance toward the core), India, Mexico, and Brazil. Each of these countries sell both raw materials or cheap labor and manufactured goods. They make more profit from their production than the periphery states but not nearly as much as core states.