The Making of BRICS

This book explores how BRICS evolved from a 2001 Goldman Sachs market label into a politically consequential platform of variable institutional density. It examines what BRICS is, what it does, and what affiliation offers states under contested multipolarity.

The book provides a rigorous framework for understanding a grouping that is often misjudged as either a failed organisation or mere rhetoric. Through an analysis of BRICS expansion, including Argentina's accession and subsequent withdrawal, it explains why states seek affiliation, how enlargement reshapes the platform's logic, and what BRICS offers – and does not offer – its members. The analysis moves beyond output-focused evaluations to consider signalling, alignment, representational politics, and participant-side utility.

It is essential reading for scholars and advanced students of international relations, global governance, and emerging powers. It also serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking sharper tools to analyse politically consequential platforms that operate outside the constitutional model of treaty-based international organisations.