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Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+

Year 2025, Issue: 124, 36 - 59, 01.10.2025

Abstract

The BRICS+ initiative has gained momentum with growing efforts toward economic and financial integration. This study assesses the feasibility of economic and financial integration in BRICS+ countries using the Mundell-Fleming Trilemma framework, focusing on the trade-offs between monetary policy independence, exchange rate stability, and capital mobility. We find inflation convergence among BRICS+ countries, indicating potential for future monetary coordination. However, foreign reserves—including China’s substantial holdings—fail to stabilize inflation or reduce exchange rate volatility, challenging conventional knowledge. Instead, capital flows and trade integration show greater stabilizing effects. These findings suggest a strategic shift from reserve accumulation to coordinated capital flow management and institutional development. While structural divergences persist, gradual policy convergence—supported by instruments like the New Development Bank—could enable long-term integration. Recent research confirms several results but highlights ongoing macroeconomic divergence, mixed exchange rate behavior, and the limited impact of passive reserve accumulation.

References

  • Aizenman, J., & Lee, J. (2007). International reserves: Precautionary versus mercantilist views, theory, and evidence. Open Economies Review, 18(2), 191-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11079-007-9030-z
  • Aizenman, J., Chinn, M. D., & Ito, H. (2013). The “impossible trinity” hypothesis in an era of global imbalances: Measurement and testing. Review of International Economics, 21(3), 447-458.
  • Acharya, A. (2014). The end of American world order. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 978-0-7456-7247-2.
  • Albuquerque, A. de, & Lycarião, D. (2018). Winds of change? BRICS as a perspective in international media research. International Communication Gazette, 80(8), 693-716.
  • Alwadeai, A., Vlasova, N., Mareeh, H., & Aljonaid, N. (2024). Beyond traditional defenses: Unraveling the dynamics of reserves and exchange rate volatility in the face of economic sanctions. Russian Journal of Economics, 10(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.32609/j.ruje.10.118769.
  • Armijo, L. E. (2007). The BRICs countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as analytical category: Mirage or insight? Asian Perspective, 31(4), 7–42.
  • Babb, S., & Chorev, N. (2016). International organizations: Loose and tight coupling in the development regime. Studies in Comparative International Development, 51(1), 81–102.
  • Baum, C. F., Pundit, M., & Ramayandi, A. (2024). Capital flows and financial stability in emerging economies (ADB Economics Working Paper Series No. 522). Asian Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.22617/WPS179090-2
  • BRICS. (2023). 15th BRICS Summit Johannesburg II Declaration. https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/speech_docs/Jhb%20II%20Declaration%2024%20August%202023.pdf
  • Burnside, C., Eichenbaum, M., & Rebelo, S. (2001). Hedging and financial fragility in fixed exchange rate regimes. European Economic Review, 45(7), 1151-1193. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(00)00104-0
  • Bussière, M., & Mulder, C. (1999). External vulnerability in emerging market economies: How high liquidity can offset weak fundamentals and the effects of contagion. IMF Working Paper No. 99/88. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451850241.001
  • Chaudhari, D., & Trivedi, P. (2022). Efficacy of central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market of the BRICS countries. BRICS Journal of Economics, 3(3), 143–172. https://doi.org/10.3897/brics-econ.3.e84676
  • Chaturvedi, S., & Saha, S. (2019). Role of BRICS’ Economic Cooperation for Global Governance and Institution-Building: An Indian Perspective. Strategic Analysis, 43(6), 558–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2019.1694643.
  • Cheung, Y. W., & Qian, X. (2009). Hoarding of international reserves: Mrs Machlup’s wardrobe and the Joneses. Review of International Economics, 17(4), 824-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9396.2009.00834.x
  • Cooper, A. F. (2016). The BRICS: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
  • De Grauwe, P. (2012). The governance of a fragile Eurozone. Australian Economic Review, 45(3), 255-268.
  • Eichengreen, B., Rose, A. K., & Wyplosz, C. (1995). Exchange market mayhem: The antecedents and aftermath of speculative attacks. Economic Policy, 10(21), 249-312. https://doi.org/10.2307/1344597
  • Frankel, J. A., & Rose, A. K. (1998). The endogeneity of the optimum currency area criteria. The economic journal, 108(449), 1009-1025.
  • Ghosh, A. R., Ostry, J. D., & Tsangarides, C. G. (2017). Shifting motives: Explaining the buildup in official reserves in emerging markets since the 1980s. IMF Economic Review, 65(2), 308–364. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41308-016-0003-3
  • Ghosh, Atish R., Jonathan D. Ostry, and Mahvash S. Qureshi. 2016. "When Do Capital Inflow Surges End in Tears?" American Economic Review 106 (5): 581–85.DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20161015
  • Hopewell, K. (2015). Different paths to power: The rise of Brazil, India and China at the WTO. Review of International Political Economy, 22(2), 311–338.
  • IMF (2024a). International financial statistics. Retrieved May 30, 2024, from https://data.imf.org/?sk=4c514d48-b6ba-49ed-8ab9-52b0c1a0179b.
  • IMF (2024b), Balance of payments statistics yearbook and data files, and World Bank IBRD-IDA. Retrieved May 30, 2024, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BN.CAB.XOKA.CD
  • Jeanne, O., & Rancière, R. (2011). The optimal level of international reserves for emerging market countries: A new formula and some applications. The Economic Journal, 121(555), 905-930. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02410.x
  • Krugman, P. (1979). A model of balance-of-payments crises. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 11(3), 311-325. https://doi.org/10.2307/1991793
  • Leal-Arcas, R. (2010). International trade and investment law: Multilateral, regional and bilateral governance. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Mundell, R. A. (1961). A theory of optimum currency areas. The American Economic Review, 51(4), 657-665.
  • Mundell, R. A. & Fleming, J. M. (1964). "Capital Mobility and Stabilization Policy Under Fixed and Flexible Exchange Rates." Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, 29(4), 475-485.
  • Nach, M., & Ncwadi, R. (2024). BRICS economic integration: Prospects and challenges. South African Journal of International Affairs, 31(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/10220461.2024.2380676
  • New Development Bank (2024). "Annual Report on Infrastructure Investment in BRICS+."
  • O'Neill, J. (2001). Building better global economic BRICs. Goldman Sachs Global Economics Paper No. 66.
  • Obstfeld, M. (1996). Models of currency crises with self-fulfilling features. European Economic Review, 40(3-5), 1037-1047. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2921(95)00057-8
  • Obstfeld, M., Shambaugh, J. C., & Taylor, A. M. (2009). Financial instability, reserves, and central bank swap lines in the panic of 2008. The American Economic Review, 99(2), 480-486. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.2.480
  • Pasricha, G., Falagiarda, M., Bijsterbosch, M., & Aizenman, J. (2018). Domestic and multilateral effects of capital controls in emerging markets. Journal of International Economics, 115, 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2018.08.005
  • Phillips, P. C. & Hansen, B. E. (1990). Statistical Inference in Instrumental Variables Regression with I (1) Processes, The Review of Economic Studies, 57(1), 99-125. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297545.
  • Sbeiti, W., Ahmad, M. U., AlKhashti, F., & Haddad, A. E. (2025). Exchange Rate Dynamics and Macroeconomic Factors: A Comparative Study of BRICS. Global J. of Emerging Market Economies, 17(1), 1–22.
  • Shubin, V. (2018). South Africa in the BRICS: Last but not Least. In BRICS and Global Governance (pp. 223-241). Routledge.
  • Silva, E. M. D., & Campos, B. R. S. (2021). Possible legal cooperation for a BRICS perspective on international and transnational economic law. BRICS Law Journal, 8(4), 31-37.
  • Stephen, M. D., & Parizek, M. (2019). New powers and the distribution of preferences in global trade governance: From deadlock and drift to fragmentation. New Political Economy, 24(6), 735–758.
  • Stuenkel, O. (2020). The BRICS and the future of global order (2nd ed.). Lexington Books.
  • World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/
  • Xing, L. (2019). The international political economy of the BRICS in a changing world order: Attitudes and actualities. In L. Xing (Ed.), The international political economy of the BRICS (pp. 1–17). Routledge.

BRICS+'da Ekonomik ve Finansal Entegrasyon

Year 2025, Issue: 124, 36 - 59, 01.10.2025

Abstract

BRICS+ girişimi, ekonomik ve finansal entegrasyona yönelik artan çabalarla ivme kazanmıştır. Bu çalışma, Mundell-Fleming Üçlemi çerçevesinde BRICS+ ülkelerinde ekonomik ve finansal entegrasyonun fizibilitesini değerlendirmekte ve para politikası bağımsızlığı, döviz kuru istikrarı ve sermaye hareketliliği arasındaki dengeyi analiz etmektedir. Bulgularımız, ülkeler arasında enflasyon yakınsamasının güçlendiğini ve parasal koordinasyon potansiyelini göstermektedir. Ancak Çin’in yüksek rezervleri dahil olmak üzere döviz rezervlerinin, enflasyonu ya da kur oynaklığını istikrara kavuşturmadığı görülmektedir. Buna karşılık, sermaye akımları ve ticaret entegrasyonu daha güçlü istikrar etkisi yaratmaktadır. Bu durum, rezerv biriktirmeye dayalı strateji yerine, koordineli sermaye akımı yönetimi ve kurumsal gelişime odaklanılması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Her ne kadar yapısal farklılıklar sürse de Yeni Kalkınma Bankası gibi araçlarla desteklenen kademeli politika uyumu uzun vadede entegrasyonu mümkün kılabilir. Güncel araştırmalar bulgularımızı desteklemekte, ancak makroekonomik uyumsuzluklara ve pasif rezerv birikiminin sınırlı etkisini vurgulamaktadır.

References

  • Aizenman, J., & Lee, J. (2007). International reserves: Precautionary versus mercantilist views, theory, and evidence. Open Economies Review, 18(2), 191-214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11079-007-9030-z
  • Aizenman, J., Chinn, M. D., & Ito, H. (2013). The “impossible trinity” hypothesis in an era of global imbalances: Measurement and testing. Review of International Economics, 21(3), 447-458.
  • Acharya, A. (2014). The end of American world order. Cambridge: Polity Press. ISBN 978-0-7456-7247-2.
  • Albuquerque, A. de, & Lycarião, D. (2018). Winds of change? BRICS as a perspective in international media research. International Communication Gazette, 80(8), 693-716.
  • Alwadeai, A., Vlasova, N., Mareeh, H., & Aljonaid, N. (2024). Beyond traditional defenses: Unraveling the dynamics of reserves and exchange rate volatility in the face of economic sanctions. Russian Journal of Economics, 10(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.32609/j.ruje.10.118769.
  • Armijo, L. E. (2007). The BRICs countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as analytical category: Mirage or insight? Asian Perspective, 31(4), 7–42.
  • Babb, S., & Chorev, N. (2016). International organizations: Loose and tight coupling in the development regime. Studies in Comparative International Development, 51(1), 81–102.
  • Baum, C. F., Pundit, M., & Ramayandi, A. (2024). Capital flows and financial stability in emerging economies (ADB Economics Working Paper Series No. 522). Asian Development Bank. https://doi.org/10.22617/WPS179090-2
  • BRICS. (2023). 15th BRICS Summit Johannesburg II Declaration. https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/speech_docs/Jhb%20II%20Declaration%2024%20August%202023.pdf
  • Burnside, C., Eichenbaum, M., & Rebelo, S. (2001). Hedging and financial fragility in fixed exchange rate regimes. European Economic Review, 45(7), 1151-1193. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0014-2921(00)00104-0
  • Bussière, M., & Mulder, C. (1999). External vulnerability in emerging market economies: How high liquidity can offset weak fundamentals and the effects of contagion. IMF Working Paper No. 99/88. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451850241.001
  • Chaudhari, D., & Trivedi, P. (2022). Efficacy of central bank intervention in the foreign exchange market of the BRICS countries. BRICS Journal of Economics, 3(3), 143–172. https://doi.org/10.3897/brics-econ.3.e84676
  • Chaturvedi, S., & Saha, S. (2019). Role of BRICS’ Economic Cooperation for Global Governance and Institution-Building: An Indian Perspective. Strategic Analysis, 43(6), 558–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2019.1694643.
  • Cheung, Y. W., & Qian, X. (2009). Hoarding of international reserves: Mrs Machlup’s wardrobe and the Joneses. Review of International Economics, 17(4), 824-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9396.2009.00834.x
  • Cooper, A. F. (2016). The BRICS: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
  • De Grauwe, P. (2012). The governance of a fragile Eurozone. Australian Economic Review, 45(3), 255-268.
  • Eichengreen, B., Rose, A. K., & Wyplosz, C. (1995). Exchange market mayhem: The antecedents and aftermath of speculative attacks. Economic Policy, 10(21), 249-312. https://doi.org/10.2307/1344597
  • Frankel, J. A., & Rose, A. K. (1998). The endogeneity of the optimum currency area criteria. The economic journal, 108(449), 1009-1025.
  • Ghosh, A. R., Ostry, J. D., & Tsangarides, C. G. (2017). Shifting motives: Explaining the buildup in official reserves in emerging markets since the 1980s. IMF Economic Review, 65(2), 308–364. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41308-016-0003-3
  • Ghosh, Atish R., Jonathan D. Ostry, and Mahvash S. Qureshi. 2016. "When Do Capital Inflow Surges End in Tears?" American Economic Review 106 (5): 581–85.DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20161015
  • Hopewell, K. (2015). Different paths to power: The rise of Brazil, India and China at the WTO. Review of International Political Economy, 22(2), 311–338.
  • IMF (2024a). International financial statistics. Retrieved May 30, 2024, from https://data.imf.org/?sk=4c514d48-b6ba-49ed-8ab9-52b0c1a0179b.
  • IMF (2024b), Balance of payments statistics yearbook and data files, and World Bank IBRD-IDA. Retrieved May 30, 2024, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BN.CAB.XOKA.CD
  • Jeanne, O., & Rancière, R. (2011). The optimal level of international reserves for emerging market countries: A new formula and some applications. The Economic Journal, 121(555), 905-930. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02410.x
  • Krugman, P. (1979). A model of balance-of-payments crises. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 11(3), 311-325. https://doi.org/10.2307/1991793
  • Leal-Arcas, R. (2010). International trade and investment law: Multilateral, regional and bilateral governance. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing.
  • Mundell, R. A. (1961). A theory of optimum currency areas. The American Economic Review, 51(4), 657-665.
  • Mundell, R. A. & Fleming, J. M. (1964). "Capital Mobility and Stabilization Policy Under Fixed and Flexible Exchange Rates." Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science, 29(4), 475-485.
  • Nach, M., & Ncwadi, R. (2024). BRICS economic integration: Prospects and challenges. South African Journal of International Affairs, 31(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/10220461.2024.2380676
  • New Development Bank (2024). "Annual Report on Infrastructure Investment in BRICS+."
  • O'Neill, J. (2001). Building better global economic BRICs. Goldman Sachs Global Economics Paper No. 66.
  • Obstfeld, M. (1996). Models of currency crises with self-fulfilling features. European Economic Review, 40(3-5), 1037-1047. https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-2921(95)00057-8
  • Obstfeld, M., Shambaugh, J. C., & Taylor, A. M. (2009). Financial instability, reserves, and central bank swap lines in the panic of 2008. The American Economic Review, 99(2), 480-486. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.2.480
  • Pasricha, G., Falagiarda, M., Bijsterbosch, M., & Aizenman, J. (2018). Domestic and multilateral effects of capital controls in emerging markets. Journal of International Economics, 115, 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2018.08.005
  • Phillips, P. C. & Hansen, B. E. (1990). Statistical Inference in Instrumental Variables Regression with I (1) Processes, The Review of Economic Studies, 57(1), 99-125. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297545.
  • Sbeiti, W., Ahmad, M. U., AlKhashti, F., & Haddad, A. E. (2025). Exchange Rate Dynamics and Macroeconomic Factors: A Comparative Study of BRICS. Global J. of Emerging Market Economies, 17(1), 1–22.
  • Shubin, V. (2018). South Africa in the BRICS: Last but not Least. In BRICS and Global Governance (pp. 223-241). Routledge.
  • Silva, E. M. D., & Campos, B. R. S. (2021). Possible legal cooperation for a BRICS perspective on international and transnational economic law. BRICS Law Journal, 8(4), 31-37.
  • Stephen, M. D., & Parizek, M. (2019). New powers and the distribution of preferences in global trade governance: From deadlock and drift to fragmentation. New Political Economy, 24(6), 735–758.
  • Stuenkel, O. (2020). The BRICS and the future of global order (2nd ed.). Lexington Books.
  • World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/
  • Xing, L. (2019). The international political economy of the BRICS in a changing world order: Attitudes and actualities. In L. Xing (Ed.), The international political economy of the BRICS (pp. 1–17). Routledge.
There are 42 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Capital Market, International Finance, Macroeconomics (Other)
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Erdem Kılıç 0000-0003-1917-2227

Early Pub Date September 29, 2025
Publication Date October 1, 2025
Submission Date April 13, 2025
Acceptance Date August 7, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Issue: 124

Cite

APA Kılıç, E. (2025). Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+. Maliye Ve Finans Yazıları(124), 36-59. https://doi.org/10.33203/mfy.1675011
AMA Kılıç E. Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+. Maliye ve Finans Yazıları. October 2025;(124):36-59. doi:10.33203/mfy.1675011
Chicago Kılıç, Erdem. “Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+”. Maliye Ve Finans Yazıları, no. 124 (October 2025): 36-59. https://doi.org/10.33203/mfy.1675011.
EndNote Kılıç E (October 1, 2025) Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+. Maliye ve Finans Yazıları 124 36–59.
IEEE E. Kılıç, “Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+”, Maliye ve Finans Yazıları, no. 124, pp. 36–59, October2025, doi: 10.33203/mfy.1675011.
ISNAD Kılıç, Erdem. “Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+”. Maliye ve Finans Yazıları 124 (October2025), 36-59. https://doi.org/10.33203/mfy.1675011.
JAMA Kılıç E. Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+. Maliye ve Finans Yazıları. 2025;:36–59.
MLA Kılıç, Erdem. “Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+”. Maliye Ve Finans Yazıları, no. 124, 2025, pp. 36-59, doi:10.33203/mfy.1675011.
Vancouver Kılıç E. Economic and Financial Integration in BRICS+. Maliye ve Finans Yazıları. 2025(124):36-59.

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