| Title | A City-Networks Perspective on the Global Economy |
| Abstract | A popular approach to conceptualising the global economy has been through the lens of network science, in which cities act as economic ‘hubs’, and the connections between them as ‘spokes’. Such connections refer to various types of flows, including information, resources, and capital. This presentation provides an overview of how the ‘global network of cities’ can be conceptualised from the perspective of global corporate networks, in this case using data on connectivity between firms and their subsidiary locations. Drawing upon data from 1.1 million corporate records, it reports on the findings of a multi-year ARC project focussing on firm networks. The presentation will provide a broad overview of network science and its applications in economic geography, followed by a more detailed set of findings relating to how and why network connectivity occurs, and what this means for contemporary cities and their global economic dimensions. |
| Speaker | Dr Thomas Sigler is a human geographer with broad interests across the sub-disciplines of urban geography and economic geography. His research focuses on three main pillars, including 1) the sharing economy; 2) housing and urban form; and 3) urban networks. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications in journals including Environment and Planning A, PLoS One, Regional Studies, Economic Geography, Urban Studies, Journal of Urban Affairs, Urban Geography, and Applied Geography, and has recently published a co-edited book titled ‘A Modern Guide to the Urban Sharing Economy’ (Edward Elgar Publishing) with Prof Jonathan Corcoran. He holds a BA from the University of Southern California and a Master’s and PhD from Penn State, and has international work and research experience in China, Luxembourg, Panama, Honduras, and the Dem. Rep. of Congo. Dr Sigler serves on the editorial boards the journals Urban Geography and Geographical Research, and is a member of numerous professional organisations. |
| Time & place | Room 320, Steele Building (#03) https://uqz.zoom.us/j/83840293723?pwd=MGRMcmlsUzJseFNBZ0hSbmZRTzZqZz09 Password: UQ 21 October 2021 11:00am-12:00pm |