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Attending to the world: competition, cooperation and connectivity in the World City network
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2002
Year
Urban InformaticsNetwork AnalysisCommunicationInternationalizationGlobal StudiesCollaborative NetworkSpatial NetworkManagementWorld City NetworkInternational BusinessWorld CitiesGlobal StrategySocial Network AnalysisTransnational NetworkEconomics Of NetworkStrategic ManagementCity CompetitivenessGlobal NetworkingGlobalizationUrban GeographyNetwork ScienceBusinessNetwork GovernanceArtsGlobal Connection
World Cities are central to globalization, yet their competitive framing often overlooks the connectivity and attendant efforts that shape the global network. This study develops a conceptual model of World City network formation that centers on four attendants—firms, sectors, cities, and states—linked through city‑firm and state‑sector nexuses and two communities. The model’s utility is illustrated through interviews with 39 advanced producer‑service firms in banking and law in London, New York, and Singapore following the East Asian financial crisis. The findings show that attendants worked to maintain and transform the World City network during the crisis, indicating that city‑competitiveness research must emphasize the cooperative work sustaining global networks.
World Cities are acknowledged to be a key aspect of globalization. In many accounts, these cities are depicted as rivals in a global marketplace, their economic success a result of their competitive advantage. However, what has not been fully acknowledged is their connectivity and, in addition, the time and effort taken by specific ‘attendants’ to produce the World City network. Accordingly, this article aims to advance understanding of World City network formation by developing a conceptual model that focuses on four major attendants (firms, sectors, cities and states) that enact network formation through two nexuses —‘city‐firm’ and ‘statesector’— and two communities —‘cities within states’ and ‘firms within sectors’. The utility of this model is demonstrated by drawing upon interviews conducted in offices of 39 advanced producer service firms in banking and law. These interviews were undertaken in three World Cities (London, New York and Singapore) in the wake of the East Asian financial crisis, an event that challenged the consistency of the World City network. Showing how attendants sought to maintain and transform the World City network at this key moment of crisis, we conclude that studies of city competitiveness ultimately need to focus on the cooperative work that sustains global networks.