The role of capitals and major cities in the economic development of the BRICS countries

Capitals and key regional centers play an important, and in some countries a determining, role in the economic development of all countries in the world. The concentration of population, company headquarters and banks, on the one hand, becomes a driver of economic development, but on the other hand, it generates disproportions that become a brake on sustainable development. The scale of the economies of agglomerations and megalopolises of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE and Egypt — an influential organization that accounts for about 40% of the total population of the Earth and 1/3 of the world GDP) is impressive and comparable to entire countries. This paper aims to examine the role of the capitals and the five largest cities of the BRICS countries in the socio-­economic performance of the countries over the period 2000–2020. For the comparative analysis of the role of capitals and largest cities in economic development were used the calculations the coefficients of population dynamics and urban population concentration in the five largest cities and the capital and their role in the economy. The analysis showed that the BRICS countries demonstrate significant differences in the indicators, which is due to historical, geographical, socio-­economic and other factors. The authors identified 3 groups of countries by the nature of the dynamics of the role of capitals over 2000–2020: countries where the role in the socio-­economic development of the capital and the five largest cities: increased (Russia, South Africa and China); decreased (UAE, Ethiopia and Iran); did not change (Brazil, Egypt and India). The results contribute to the scientific understanding of the processes and the relationship between spatial development and economic growth in emerging markets and developing countries.