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Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (1): 310-324.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.198

• Regional Development • Previous Articles    

How does relationship dependence affect the spatial growth of globalizing city networks: A case of iPhone’s suppliers

LIU Qing1(),JIANG Xiaorong2,3()   

  1. 1. School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, Guangdong, China
    2. College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang 441053, Hubei, China
    3. Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, China
  • Received:2021-05-02 Revised:2021-06-15 Online:2022-01-25 Published:2022-01-21
  • Contact: Xiaorong JIANG E-mail:liuqinglwz@163.com;jiangxr@hbuas.edu.cn

Abstract:

Recently there has been an increase in the number of the relationship turns and the evolution of new economic geography, which facilities the transformation of city network research, namely, from structural characteristics to influence mechanism. In light of the existing research progress, the paper introduces microconfiguration through the lens of the structural perspective to investigate the growth and development mechanism of city networks. To be more specific, initially, the city networks of R&D-oriented, production-oriented, and OEM service-oriented are specified built based on the suppliers’ data of iPhone’s components and parts in 2019, and afterward, we conduct motif analysis and exponential random graph model (ERGM) to examine the microprocesses in the spatial growth of city networks. The results demonstrate that: (1) reciprocity and the intermediary effect are widely and commonly distributed in the three types of city networks, which profoundly affect connectivity development and promote the growth of the hierarchical structure and the availability of the entire network. (2) The process of preferential attachment and the effect of receiver and sender (branches) constitute core structural mechanisms interpreting hierarchical centrality pattern of city networks, both of them embody the phenomenon of path dependence centered on in-degree centrality in the growth processes of city networks. (3) Triangle structure (transitive triangle and circular triad motif) and homogeneity are micro basis components that promote the cluster growth and community structure of city network and the phenomenon of rich clubs. Moreover, the homogeneity influence on the spatial growth of city networks is primarily reflected in the linkages between core cities. (4) Enterprises’ path dependence and distance are the main external factors that drive and affect the growth of city networks. Overall, in the current city network research, there is still a problem that quite focuses on measuring structural characteristics, while ignoring the analysis of the influence mechanism. Furthermore, in the existing literature on the influence mechanism of city networks, many researchers focus on a qualitative macro description based on independent variables, nevertheless, but little on the micro growth and development mechanism of city networks from the standpoint of graph theory and structuralism. Hence, a microconfiguration of ERGM is used through the lens of relationship dependence in this paper, subsequently; we introduce exogenous covariates and endogenous structural variables into the hypothesis verification of city network influence mechanism, which is very important for broadening the research scope of the influence mechanism of the existing city network research.

Key words: globalizing city networks, iPhone, relationship dependence, exponential random graph model