The modern world economy is characterized by high dynamics in the ratio of the level and rates of economic growth of its constituent countries. The speed, quantitative and qualitative indicators of this process are constantly changing, becoming its distinctive feature, especially since the second half of the XX century. The differences in economic potentials are most evident in the interaction between developed and developing countries. The very appearance of these categories, of which the second category is relatively quickly filled with new content, reflects complex deep processes. The term "backward countries" was quickly replaced by the more correct "developing", then generalizing "third world", which became widely popular. In 2010, such an authority as E. Maddison, a British economist and author of major works on historical statistics, expressed the opinion that the third world is over1. The recently proposed "rising" and "growing" countries record qualitative changes in the positions of this group and, as a result, the renewal of the structure of the world economy. The book of Professor, Doctor of Economics of VA. Melyantseva " Long-term trends, counter-trends and factors of economic growth in developed and developing countries "(Moscow, Publishing House "Key", 2015. 80 p.) is devoted to a topical and very complex topic - deep, sometimes dramatic changes in the ratio of economic positions of the main groups, developed countries (WG) and developing countries (PC)*. This division has become a key element in the analysis of the modern world economy. The title of the paper sounds a bit heavy, but it reflects the multi-level nature of the peer-reviewed research, which does not involve unambiguous answers. In a brief Introduction, V. Melyantsev notes a noticeable decline in economic and geopolitical stability in the world. The indicators presented in the text show significant differences between the two groups of countries, especially in regions with a predominance ... Read more