Position in the World-Economy 1960-2000.

Measures of position in the world-economy are central to research in international political economy. Scholars in many disciplines have created measures that rank nations within a global hierarchy. Most of these measures incorporate only economic variables, such as total or per capita gross national product. Following Charles Tilly's (1994) theorization on the origins of the modern nation-state, we develop a measure of position in the world economy that includes both economic and coercive power. We provide separate rankings for each power dimension, and then combine them for an overall measure of position from 1960 to 2000, at five year intervals. These new rankings provide important insights into the global power structure and nation-state mobility over this period. Additionally this measure establishes new avenues for research and inquiry in sociology, international relations, and international political economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]