Understanding the position of end nodes in the world city network: using peer city analysis to differentiate between non-hub cities

摘要

In the current debate on the world city network and inter-city connectivity, a large number of cities, particularly in developing countries, have received limited attention. Despite a growing interest in emerging market cities, many scholars still focus on the more affluent parts of the global economy. In an attempt to redress this imbalance, I present an assessment for use on cities that are not at the centre of the network; but what we consider 'end nodes'. I build my argument on Taylor's interlocking model for assessing city connectivity and zoom in on the types of networks that non-hub cities create through their inter-linkages with so-called peer cities in the same economic sector. I take these ego networks as a starting point and then lead the argument on to view city networks from a non-hub perspective. This allows me to identify the existing linkages between different peer cities within as well as between selected city networks. The renewable energy business in India puts this argument to an empirical test. My findings confirm that this way of looking at city connectivity allows one to assess specifically for city end nodes and thereby contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the world city network.