World and Global Economy
World and Global Economy, Global
Business Environment, and International
Business: Nature, Formation,
and Structure
Alexander Bulatov
Abstract This chapter provides some notions that will be often used in the subse-
quent chapters, distinguishes major actors of the global economy, analyzes the histor-
ical evolution of the global economy and international business, and gives a brief
typology of the world economy and international business. In the end, some clues to
the statistics of the world economy and global business environment are provided.
1 Introduction
When we study the world, we are typologizing it. This chapter provides some notions
that will be often used throughout the book, distinguishes major actors of the global
economy, analyzes the historical evolution of the global economy and international
business, and gives a brief typology of the world economy and international business.
In the end, some clues to the statistics of the world economy and global business
environment are provided.
2 Notions of the World Economy and Global Economy,
International Business, and Global Business Environment
2.1 The Notion of the World Economy and Global Economy
The world economy, in the shortest definition, means a set of all the national
economies of the world. If the world economy is measured on the basis of annual
volumes of all national GDP, then in 2021 it was close to $90 trillion (about $140
trillion at purchasing power parity—see below).