The world city network: Evaluating top-down versus bottom-up approaches

Abstract

The growth of the knowledge economy has led to new forms of business networks linking cities and towns across different spatial scales. Various attempts have been made to analyse these networks empirically using the interlocking network model of the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) research network. Two approaches can be distinguished from a spatial perspective: a global 'topdown' approach that studies the world city network from the perspective of the largest advanced producer service firms, and a macro-regional 'bottom-up' approach that starts with the most important knowledge-intensive firms located within specific territorial boundaries. This paper compares and critically assesses the methodological implications and empirical outcomes of both approaches with reference to case studies of the German space economy. Both approaches pursue similar objectives: to investigate external relations of cities, both transnationally and on the national scale. Differences exist in the theoretical argumentation: the top-down approach is grounded in world city research; the bottom-up approach is anchored in debates in regional science and economic geography. In this paper, we argue for the need of scale-sensitive interpretations of connectivity patterns resulting from different approaches to the interlocking network model and conclude with some tentative recommendations for the methodological direction of future research in world city network studies.

The geographically variegated connections of the Jakarta metropolitan area as produced by manufacturing firms

“…At the same time, intra‐firm trade in TNCs accounts for an increasing portion of international trade in today's global economy (OECD, ). In general, as put forward by Lϋthi et al (, p. 288), “the INM provides one specific way of addressing the question as to how inter‐city relations can be empirically measured despite the chronic lack of data on inter‐city flows”.…”

“…In recent years, a parallel empirical framework—which some (e.g., Lϋthi, Thierstein, & Hoyler, ; Mans, ; Schmitt & Smas, ) have called a “bottom‐up” approach—has been devised to pursue a similar objective: investigating the external networks of cities. However, instead of analysing the WCN as a singular object of study, studies sailing under this flag investigate the connectivity of a particular city or sets of cities by focusing on the key drivers of that connectivity.…”

Logistics global network connectivity and its determinants. A European City network analysis

“…In addition to the above-mentioned attributes, the WCN research extends to other services and industries characterized by similarities to the APS as functions, exploring locational behavior and inter-sectorial relations (Growe & Blotevogel, 2011;Lüthi et al, 2010Lüthi et al, , 2018Pain & Hall, 2006). Moreover, while the main APS generally serve a wide range of customers, some studies have focused on companies, or business divisions, mainly dedicated to specific sectors (e.g.…”

Agency and practice in the making of global cities: towards a renewed research agenda

“…Furthermore, Watson and Beaverstock (2014) argue that, despite recent methodological refinements (e.g. Taylor et al, 2014;Lüthi et al, 2018), the interlocking network model is unable to fully account for the complex strategies and the spatial organization of advanced producer service firms. In economic geography, studies of knowledge intensive services have emphasized how knowledge and expertise are embodied in the economic practice and performativity of labour.…”