Regional Development, World System's Taxonomies and Inequality: A Meso-Domain Approach

Abstract

Limited research has been done about the applicability of World-Systems Theory (WST) on meso-sociological domains. This paper discusses the theoretical framework of the WST spatial divisions, applies it in subnational geographic domains, and examines the phenomenon of spatial income inequality across the Illinois’ counties. We argue that the Human Development Index (HDI) could serve as a suitable classification measure of WST regional taxonomies. Our findings indicate equivalence of structural classification between local and global geographical domains at the state of Illinois. Also our analysis on spatial inequality supports the findings of vanguard studies of the field suggesting a negative association between rurality and development, as well as an inverse relationship between rurality and income inequality at a county level.