Prof. (Dr.) Akhilesh Chandra Prabhakar is an eminent economist, author, and educator with over two decades of extensive international academic and research experience across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Currently, he holds the position of Professor of Economics at the University of Technology, Papua New Guinea. Dr. Prabhakar completed his MPhil and PhD in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, specializing in development economics, international trade, and financial systems. Throughout his distinguished career, he has held professorial appointments at prestigious institutions, such as the University of Technology (Papua New Guinea), Universiti Utara Malaysia, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (South Korea), and several leading Ethiopian universities including Addis Ababa University, University of Gondar, Debre Berhan University, and Debre Tabor University. In India, he has made significant contributions to academia as Professor at the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies and Lovely Professional University. He also served as Director of the Global South Social Networks and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Asian Social Sciences. Dr. Prabhakar’s scholarly engagements extend to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Singapore, enriching his comparative research perspective. His research portfolio primarily addresses sustainable development, industrial economics, and global economic transformations. Leveraging his wide-ranging cross-continental experiences, Dr. Prabhakar provides valuable insights into pressing economic debates and is recognized as a distinguished voice in both academic and policy domains.

• Preface 1. BRICS: Toward a New Global Order in the 21st Century 2. BRICS: An Engine of Global South 3. Political and Diplomatic Strategies of BRICS 4. Comparative Analysis of Emerging Economics 5. Automation and Digitalization: A Premature Deindustrialization in Developing Economies 6. Self-Reliance and Industrialization Goals: An Unfinished Task 7. BRICS: Emerging as an Alternative Global Financial System in the 21st Century 8. Investments and Trade Patterns Among BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Global South 9. A Comparative Analysis of China and India’s Development Since 1980 10. BRICS and Sustainable Development: A New Vision for the Global South 11. Global Power in Transition: Geoeconomic Drivers of a Tripolar World Order Index

Prof. (Dr.) Akhilesh Chandra Prabhakar is an eminent economist, author, and educator with over two decades of extensive international academic and research experience across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Currently, he holds the position of Professor of Economics at the University of Technology, Papua New Guinea. Dr. Prabhakar completed his MPhil and PhD in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, specializing in development economics, international trade, and financial systems. Throughout his distinguished career, he has held professorial appointments at prestigious institutions, such as the University of Technology (Papua New Guinea), Universiti Utara Malaysia, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (South Korea), and several leading Ethiopian universities including Addis Ababa University, University of Gondar, Debre Berhan University, and Debre Tabor University. In India, he has made significant contributions to academia as Professor at the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies and Lovely Professional University. He also served as Director of the Global South Social Networks and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Asian Social Sciences. Dr. Prabhakar’s scholarly engagements extend to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Singapore, enriching his comparative research perspective. His research portfolio primarily addresses sustainable development, industrial economics, and global economic transformations. Leveraging his wide-ranging cross-continental experiences, Dr. Prabhakar provides valuable insights into pressing economic debates and is recognized as a distinguished voice in both academic and policy domains.

• Preface 1. BRICS: Toward a New Global Order in the 21st Century 2. BRICS: An Engine of Global South 3. Political and Diplomatic Strategies of BRICS 4. Comparative Analysis of Emerging Economics 5. Automation and Digitalization: A Premature Deindustrialization in Developing Economies 6. Self-Reliance and Industrialization Goals: An Unfinished Task 7. BRICS: Emerging as an Alternative Global Financial System in the 21st Century 8. Investments and Trade Patterns Among BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Global South 9. A Comparative Analysis of China and India’s Development Since 1980 10. BRICS and Sustainable Development: A New Vision for the Global South 11. Global Power in Transition: Geoeconomic Drivers of a Tripolar World Order Index

Prof. (Dr.) Akhilesh Chandra Prabhakar is an eminent economist, author, and educator with over two decades of extensive international academic and research experience across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Currently, he holds the position of Professor of Economics at the University of Technology, Papua New Guinea. Dr. Prabhakar completed his MPhil and PhD in Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, specializing in development economics, international trade, and financial systems. Throughout his distinguished career, he has held professorial appointments at prestigious institutions, such as the University of Technology (Papua New Guinea), Universiti Utara Malaysia, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (South Korea), and several leading Ethiopian universities including Addis Ababa University, University of Gondar, Debre Berhan University, and Debre Tabor University. In India, he has made significant contributions to academia as Professor at the University of Petroleum & Energy Studies and Lovely Professional University. He also served as Director of the Global South Social Networks and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Asian Social Sciences. Dr. Prabhakar’s scholarly engagements extend to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Singapore, enriching his comparative research perspective. His research portfolio primarily addresses sustainable development, industrial economics, and global economic transformations. Leveraging his wide-ranging cross-continental experiences, Dr. Prabhakar provides valuable insights into pressing economic debates and is recognized as a distinguished voice in both academic and policy domains.

• Preface 1. BRICS: Toward a New Global Order in the 21st Century 2. BRICS: An Engine of Global South 3. Political and Diplomatic Strategies of BRICS 4. Comparative Analysis of Emerging Economics 5. Automation and Digitalization: A Premature Deindustrialization in Developing Economies 6. Self-Reliance and Industrialization Goals: An Unfinished Task 7. BRICS: Emerging as an Alternative Global Financial System in the 21st Century 8. Investments and Trade Patterns Among BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Global South 9. A Comparative Analysis of China and India’s Development Since 1980 10. BRICS and Sustainable Development: A New Vision for the Global South 11. Global Power in Transition: Geoeconomic Drivers of a Tripolar World Order Index