Inferring international dotcom Web communities by link and content analysis

This study investigates international hyperlink networks and their content in terms of the .com domain, the most ubiquitous generic top-level domain, to examine the kinds of global websites that are linked to .com, what the linked contents are, and who are dealing with the hyperlinks. The results show the hyperlink network of websites with outgoing hyperlinks to .com websites indicates the dominant centrality of the U.S., whereas that of those with incoming hyperlinks from .com websites illustrates a core–periphery structure centered about the U.S. and other superpowers. The most globalized topics covered by websites linked to .com websites are business, the Internet and computers, recreation and entertainment, and personal interests. Many of the websites with outgoing hyperlinks to .com websites use only one non-English language. The predominant use of English by websites with outgoing hyperlinks to .com websites demonstrates the centrality of countries using English as the mother language in hyperlinked societies on the Web. The implications of these findings and further research are discussed.     

The raw material basis of global value chains: allocating environmental responsibility based on value generation

A new approach to allocate environmental responsibility, the ‘value added-based responsibility’ allocation, is presented in this article. This metric allocates total environmental pressures occurring along an international supply chain to the participating sectors and countries according to the share of value added they generate within that specific supply chain. We show that – due to their position in global value chains – certain sectors (e.g. services) and countries (e.g. Germany) receive significantly greater responsibility compared to other allocation approaches. This adds a new perspective to the discussions concerning a fair distribution of mitigation costs among nations, companies and consumers.     

The role of outsourcing in driving global carbon emissions

Globalisation has narrowed the gap between producers and consumers of goods and services. The linkages between international trade and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions have started to be recognised, yet the extent of outsourcing of emissions across nations is unknown. Filling this gap in knowledge is critical for designing effective policy mechanisms for assigning responsibility for reductions in emissions. Here we present a structural decomposition analysis of global trends in outsourcing of emissions from 1990 to 2010 for 186 individual countries. To this end, we disaggregate total CO₂ emissions for each country into contributions from the domestic economy and international trade. This allows us to unveil outsourcing trends for all nations confirming a world-wide shifting of emissions-intensive production across borders. We categorise nations into “outsourcers” – countries that outsource carbon-intensive production to so-called contractor nations. Our detailed assessment of the commodity content of global outsourcing flows reveals interesting insights about the trade of carbon-intensive commodities.     

The Internet and Christianity in Asia: Cultural Trends,Structures and Transformations

The internet has not as yet transformed the majority of Asian nations into open, liberal and democratic societies. Although it has had a significant impact, particularly on business, advertising expenditures, gaming, ICQs and other such aspects of consumption and entertainment, and in some parts of Asia (particularly in well‐networked nations like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and others), its development and impact have been uneven, predictably tending to follow the existing patterns of socio‐economic development. One area which has not received much scholarly attention is the internet and religion, which is significant in that structural characteristics and trends appear to be privileging the phenomenon of global Christianity, at the cost of the traditional religions such as Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism which have dominated Asian societies. The tendency for internet and evangelical Christian cultures to converge in a number of key Asian nations (and predictably, for both to be absent in other nations at the opposite end of the techno‐cultural spectrum) results in an alternative mapping and conceptualization of Asia in which communicatively and culturally ‘open’ societies are contrasted with ‘closed’ ones, a distinction which is the more pronounced because it is corroborated by several cultural parameters (the history of the nation's interaction with foreign powers in the age of European imperialism, economic development, communications policies and infrastructures, ethnicity, religious tolerance, and so on). This mapping re‐writes many received groupings and associations of Asian nations in terms of ethnicity, religion and political affiliations. Internet n’a pas encore changé la majorité des nations asiatiques en sociétés démocratiques, libérales et ouvertes. Il a eu une forte incidence, notamment au plan affaires, dépenses publicitaires, jeux, messageries instantanées (ICQ) et autres aspects liés à la consommation et aux loisirs, ainsi que dans certaines régions d’Asie (en particulier dans les nations dotées de réseaux: Singapour, Japon, Corée du Sud, Hong‐Kong, Malaisie, Taiwan, etc.). Pourtant, son développement a été irrégulier suivant, comme on pouvait s’y attendre, les schémas existants d’expansion socio‐économique. Les intellectuels se sont peu attachés à un domaine, à savoir internet et la religion, alors qu’il est significatif puisque tendances et caractéristiques culturelles semblent privilégier le Christianisme mondialisé, aux dépens des religions traditionnelles tels l’Hindouisme, l’Islam et le Bouddhisme qui ont dominé les sociétés asiatiques. La tendance à la convergence d’internet et des cultures chrétiennes évangéliques vers plusieurs nations asiatiques cruciales (et, de manière prévisible, à leur absence d’autres nations situées à l’autre extrémité du spectre techno‐culturel) produit une cartographie et une conceptualisation alternatives de l’asie où des sociétés ‘ouvertes’ au plan communications et culture sont mises en opposition avec des sociétés ‘fermées’, distinction particulièrement prononcée car elle correspond à plusieurs paramètres culturels (histoire nationale de l’interaction avec des puissances étrangères à l’époque de l’impérialisme européen, développement économique, politiques et infrastructures de communications, ethnicité, tolérance religieuse, entre autres). Cette cartographie récrit nombre des regroupements et associations établis de nations asiatiques en termes d’ethnicité, de religion et d’affiliations politiques.     

Opening entrepreneurial ecosystem’s black box: the power of networks in African low-income countries

What makes one type of entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) more conducive to entrepreneurial dynamics than another? EE research is a hot topic, and considerable progress has been made as regards its elements, network, and actors’ components. However, some scholars regret the absence of an empirical analysis of EE as a whole to understand how EE configuration operates. To introduce this perspective, we propose an unexplored inter-organizational ties analysis among all EE actors, at a country-level scale. Based on the network theory perspective, we conduct an exploratory research in five low-income African countries, using innovative research methods (the quantitative graph theory, web scraping, the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis) to understand the organizational patterns in these EEs, and their impact on entrepreneurial outcomes. At the core of this perspective lie inter-organizational ties measures of closeness, cohesiveness, and inter-connectedness, which are key causal conditions for high entrepreneurial dynamics levels and rates in low-income countries. This research underlines the importance of EE network attributes to facilitate the easy distribution of entrepreneurial nurturing components to entrepreneurs. It also highlights the importance of ease of information and knowledge flow, as well as a strong collaborative and coopetitive environment to make an EE more conducive to entrepreneurial dynamics.

     

Modelling international sovereign risk information spillovers: A multilayer network approach

Applying the TVP-VAR model, we creatively construct multilayer information spillover networks containing return spillover layer, volatility spillover layer and extreme risk spillover layer among 23 countries in the G20 to explore international sovereign risk spillovers. From the perspective of system-level and country-level measures, this article explores the topological structures of static and dynamic multilayer networks. We observe that (i) at the system-level, multilayer measures containing uniqueness edge ratio and average edge overlap show each layer has unique network structures and spillover evolution behavior, especially for dynamic networks. Average connectedness strength shows volatility and extreme risk spillover layers are more sensitive to extreme events. Meanwhile, three layers have highly intertwined and interrelated relations. Notably, their spillovers all show a great upsurge during the crisis (financial and European debt crisis) and the COVID-19 pandemic period. (ii) At the country-level, average overlapping net-strength shows that countries’ roles are different during distinct periods. Multiplex participation coefficient on out-strength indicates we’ll focus on countries with highly heterogeneous connectedness among three layers during the stable period since their underestimated spillovers soar in extreme events or crises. Multilayer networks supply comprehensive information that cannot obtain by single-layer.     

The role of the world’s major steel markets in price spillover networks: an analysis based on complex network motifs

In recent years, the international steel market has shown increasingly strong cross-regional correlation. To better understand the price trends of various markets, it is necessary to identify their inherent price spillovers. This paper combines a generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity Baba–Engle–Kraft–Kroner (GARCH-BEKK) model and complex network motifs to explore the price fluctuations among international steel markets. The study selects steel markets in 12 countries and regions and uses daily data on import and export prices from January 2009 to September 2017 to analyze eight steel products. The results show that spillovers are associated with geographical location, market development, product type and status. Spillovers mostly occur between buyer’s markets; additionally, the Asian market, especially the East Asian market, is in most cases the recipient of spillover, whereas the European Union (EU) market is in most cases the sender of spillover effects. Developed markets have clear spillover effects on emerging markets, sheet steel products have clear spillover effects on profile steel products, and the prices of midstream and downstream products in the industrial chain are the most influenced. This paper examines international steel market relationships from the perspective of price transmission, and the results can help manage and prevent large-scale economic risks.

     

CAN GLOBALISATION DEPRESS LIVING STANDARDS IN THE WEST?

This article argues that unguarded optimism among liberal economists in the West as to the social and economic consequences of globalisation is misguided. Increased and freer international trade may depress living standards in the West as firms move production to those countries where factors of production (including labour) are cheaper and immigrants from poorer countries depress wages in wealthier nations.     

Entry mode choices in the international new ventures context. A study from different theoretical perspectives

Few studies have investigated the factors that enhance entry mode choice in the context of international new ventures (INVs). In this paper, we hypothesize that the characteristics of INVs’ products or services can explain their preference for equity entry modes. We also hypothesize that the inter-firm networks in which INVs are embedded play a deciding role in their choice of non-equity entry modes. When INVs are in inter-firm networks in which activities are developed to manage them, non-equity entry modes are preferred. We have adopted an effectuation approach to study the influence of different inter-firm network management activities on entry mode choice. In short, we have studied the effect of developing inter-firm network knowledge exchange, coordination, adaptation, conflict resolution and resource sharing management activities. In this paper we attempt to contribute to international entrepreneurship studies by reconciling the most widely accepted approaches to entry mode choice (Transactional Cost Economics, Organizational Capabilities-based and Network perspective) and international new ventures. Our findings show that the technological complexity of INVs’ products/services explain their preference for equity entry modes. Additionally, the development of network management activities among the networked firms determines the INVs’ preference for non-equity entry modes. Our results draw a decision model that differs from the ones derived from previous perspectives, which highlight the role of different characteristics of international new ventures.     

International automotive production networks: how the web comes together

This paper aims to provide empirical evidence for the connections between new trade theory and the spatial distribution of economic activities, considering the results obtained by the literature on New Economic Geography as a starting point. To do this, we apply Social Network Analysis specifically to the World Automotive Trade Network. We explore the structural features of the auto network for the years 1996 and 2009 using data on trade flows for 172 countries. Our findings suggest that the auto network has become denser, more extensive and more integrated over time, depicting a center-periphery structure in which regional clusters play a prominent role. In this configuration, strong agglomeration forces generated by companies’ desire for large and rich market access with minimum transportation costs are balanced by the search for new high-potential markets.     

Following in Partners’ Footsteps: An Uncertainty‐Reduction Perspective on Firms’ Choice of New Markets

In this paper, we develop a new perspective on what determines firms’ choice of new markets for entry. First, drawing on the open‐system theoretical tradition and literature on inter‐organizational networks, we advance and empirically test the proposition that firms tend to enter new markets to which they are connected by partnership ties. We then show that this network influence is filtered through the structure of firms’ network connections to new markets and firms’ experience. Specifically, we find that multiplicity of connections to new markets, as well as the extensiveness of firms’ experience and its relevance to new markets weaken the effect of network ties on firms’ choice of new markets. The results of this study indicate that firms’ choice of new markets for entry is a nuanced process that is affected by the interplay of firms’ collaborative ties, the structure of their network, and firms’ internal capabilities. We test our hypotheses in the empirical context of the U.S. venture capital (VC) industry using panel data over a 23‐year period and find broad support for them.     

International trade of GMO-related agricultural products

This paper examines the international trade of a variety of genetically modified (GM) food products over a 27-year period (1984–2011) with data from the United Nations using the tools of social network analysis. The results indicate that each of the different crops have a distinctive pattern of trade that has changed over time due to a number of different factors. Also, trade in agricultural commodities became more diversified over time, dominated less by the United States and other nations central in the trade networks and trade in the individual GM crops was stable over time. Countries maintained their trading partners for specific crops, despite the adoption of the genetically modified varieties. The economic implications of these results are discussed for specific countries.     

RESEARCH ON STRUCTURAL HOLES: AN ASSESSMENT ON MEASUREMENT ISSUES

Social capital theory generally analyses network structures by focusing on the connections between players. However, it has been suggested by several authors that the absence of relations in a network or ‘structural holes’ is meaningful. The aim of our paper is to provide a global survey and appraisal of the academic research on structural holes and discuss its main measurements. We adopt a bibliometric approach and identify a typology of practices, developments, and issues related to structural holes. We highlight a strand of work on operationalization of structural holes, and discuss the various measures they propose. We provide numerical examples emphasizing the respective advantages and limitations of the studied measures. Based on our results, we propose a guide to using existing measures of structural holes according to the type (simple or complex) of network.     

Testing the convergence hypothesis: a longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of the world trade web through social network and statistical analyses

Different theoretical perspectives support opposite views on convergence: although the dominant view is that convergence is the inevitable outcome of globalization, divergentists (that is, world-system economists and, potentially, also evolutionary geographic ones) argue that convergence forces could be annihilated by the need to keep power relationships within the international division of labor. Even when limiting the convergence issue to international trade, the debate has so far been inconclusive, because various studies have dealt with different and/or short time series or selected too small and different sets of countries. Moreover, none of these studies have analyzed trade patterns and have instead been limited to the aggregate value. Here, through a social network analysis, we examine the world trade patterns from 1980 to 2016 (1980–1992, 1993–2007 and 2008–2016) of at least 164 countries, which have been divided into import and export patterns and into four groups of countries: from core countries to far periphery ones. We test the convergence hypothesis in two directions: the level and trend of convergence, and its possible determination by means of structural or economic globalization, measured in terms of exchanges density and economic values, respectively. We have found that the convergence hypothesis only seems to be confirmed when considering the pure structural aspect and core countries. Conversely, economic convergence—which also includes the structural dimension—has been found to be high for core countries and to increase over time. Moreover, our analysis shows that economic globalization influences convergence, albeit in a strongly negative way. Therefore, our findings seem to support divergentists and the convergence hypothesis should be rejected.

     

Website development by nonprofit organizations in an emerging market: a case study of Thai websites

• Nonprofit organizations are pertinent players in making the world a better place. Their websites aid in fulfilling their socially beneficial missions by being a platform to present themselves, to interact with stakeholders around the world, and to perform e‐transactions to raise funds. This interdisciplinary research explores nonprofit websites in Thailand, an emerging market, to determine their progress through an adapted e‐business stage model. A manual website decoding process was used to determine the development of websites, within the sector. On average, almost three‐quarters of the websites offered interactivity and just less than half conducted online transactions, but internationally connected organizations in Thailand were significantly more likely to do so. The findings suggest that while nonprofit websites in Thailand are progressing, there is significant lag between local Thai websites and those that have international connections. While the model successfully provided new data for understanding nonprofit websites in less developed markets, it may need to be modified in future studies.

Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effects of external and internal shocks on total factor productivity

This paper examines structural changes that occur in the total factor productivity (TFP) within countries. It is possible that some episodes of high economic growth or economic decline are associated with permanent productivity shocks; therefore, this research has two objectives. The first one is to estimate the structural changes present in TFP for a sample of 77 countries between 1950 (1960) and 2000. The second one is to identify possible explanations for breaks. Two sources were analyzed: (i) episodes in political and economic history; (ii) changes in international trade – a measure of absorption of technology. The results suggest that about one-third of the TFP time-series present at least one structural break. Downwards breaks are more common, indicating that after a break the TFP has much difficulty to recover. When we investigated factors related with structural change, developed countries presented a break near the first oil shock while the developing countries’ breaks are more spread along the decades. Thus, external strikes seem to be more relevant for developed countries. However, for each country and break date, it was possible to find an event close to the break date endogenously detected. Last, the relevance of international trade, measured by trade share percentage of GDP, seems to be limited to explain abrupt changes in TFP.     

Business communities in the European confectionery sector: A U.K.-Finland comparison

This paper is based on the early stages of an international collaborative project investigating the structural changes of the confectionery sectors in Finland and the U.K. over the past two decades. An institutional perspective is used to extend conventional understandings of industries via the development of the sector concept. The network and community constructs are shown to be important devices for understanding the institutional character of a sector. Accordingly, the paper reveals the similarities and differences between the two national examples. An explanation is offered of the way domestic networks persist in both countries while contrasting community profiles are apparent.     

Six sporting worlds. A cluster analysis of sports participation in the EU-25

The aim of this study was to identify clusters of European nations grouped by sports participation outcomes (organizational context and intensity of sports participation), in order to provide sensible groupings for international comparisons. Sports participation data for the EU-25 were distracted from the 2004 Eurobarometer survey. Both a hierarchical as a K-means clustering method was used to identify groupings of countries that are homogeneous in terms of sports participation profiles. Six clusters of countries could be identified: (i) non to average fitness countries; (ii) active club countries; (iii) average non-organized countries; (iv) average school countries; (v) active multi-context countries; and (vi) very active countries. Considerable differences in sports participation profiles between European countries are made clearer when viewed across clusters of countries grouped by actual outcomes. This empirically derived taxonomy has advantages over ad hoc systems for comparing sports participation and for deciding which countries appear to have the most comparable participation profiles. Moreover, it shows that policy strategies to increase sports participation in European countries need a differentiated approach and have to take account for the fact that the provision and intensity of sport is at a quite different level in all six sporting clusters.     

Corporate Social Performance,Legitimacy, and the Choice of Foreign Partners by State-Controlled Entities in the Global Extractive Industries

We study the outcome of the decision of a state-controlled entity (SCE) to form an international joint venture (IJV) with a foreign partner in the SCE's country. Focusing on the perspective of the host SCE, we propose that in its search for a partner, the SCE will evaluate the sociopolitical legitimacy effect of a candidate partner's corporate social performance (CSP). Thereby, the SCE will consider CSP an important selection criterion because of its legitimacy effect on the selection decision, the SCE, the IJV, and the host state in the eyes of salient local and international stakeholders. Moreover, the legitimacy effect of a candidate partner's CSP will further influence the decision outcome through its interaction with the level of corruption in the candidate partner's home country, the extant sociopolitical legitimacy of the host state, and the number of neighbouring countries of the host country participating in international multi-stakeholder initiatives. We find support for our hypotheses using a novel sample of extractive industries IJVs between SCEs from 48 countries and 203 foreign partners from 22 countries for the period 2000–15.     

高铁时代的城市经济增长路径与效益机制研究

本文基于综合的分析框架,探讨高铁对城市经济增长的影响及内在机制,并在不同规模城市之间进行比较;使用列车数作为城市高铁建设与运营水平的指标具体考察两种连接方式的不同影响,结合随机森林方法和样本划分进行了机制验证。结果显示,高铁的城市经济效益主要是一种间接影响,作用路径的不同解释了高铁对不同规模城市影响程度的差异性;随着城市规模的扩大,高铁在提高服务业生产效率和促进产业升级方面作用显著,而对于规模较小的城市,高铁的影响主要在于加速产业结构调整;从连接方式看,外向型交通网络的发展能够从多个方面提升大城市的经济绩效,而与邻近城市联系的加强对于中、小城市的发展显示出了积极的影响。