2024/12/12 by Matthew Zook, Michael H. Grote · 2 voices
Business, Management and Accounting · Engineering · Social Sciences · #Digital Economy and Work Transformation #ICT Impact and Policies #Innovation and Socioeconomic Development
paper · doi:10.1093/cjres/rsae039
openalex publication_date 2024/12/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/23
Abstract The rapid evolution of digital technologies over the past decades has induced profound economic and social transformations. Economic geography faces the ongoing challenge of assimilating these changes into existing theories that elucidate the dynamics of the global economy. In response, we present the Global Digital Networks (GDN) framework, drawing inspiration from established analytical instruments like Global Production Networks (GPN) and Global Financial Networks (GFN). GDN centres on three key economic materialities—people, things, and places—intertwined with territorially grounded practices of data generation and enhancement. We identify four enhancement types—singularisation, association, centralisation and fractionalisation—driving a cyclical process shaping complex networks across territories. Governance structures, encompassing national regulations, platform systems, and firm governance, play a pivotal role. The GDN cycle, exemplified through diverse territorial scenarios, underscores the intricate interplay of data generation, enhancement and governance structures in delineating global economic networks.