Unpacking the ‘Developing’ Country Classification | Deborah Barros Leal Farias

The division of the world into ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ countries has grown increasingly problematic in the past decades. Nonetheless, it remains embedded in legal documents, foreign policy discourse, and colloquial use. In this lecture, Dr Deborah explores this complexity by unpacking the different ways in which the ‘developing’ label is used in the international system, arguing that understanding the complexity around its use requires a rigorous analysis of the label’s diverse meanings and consequences.

Deborah Barros Leal Farias is a Brazilian-born Senior Lecturer at UNSW Sydney's School of Social Sciences, where she teaches Politics and International Relations. She has a multidisciplinary background: PhD in Political Science from UBC (Canada), as well as an MA in International Relations, a bachelor degree in Economy and another in Law, all from Brazilian institutions. Her current main areas of interest involve hierarchy in global governance, particularly the interaction of non-great powers in international organizations, and Brazilian politics. Find out more about the Global Development Institute: Website Blog Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Newsletter Intro music Anna Banana by Eaters