Search

The paper begins with an introduction into the interlocking network model (INM) initially specified by Peter Taylor in the context of the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) research network. For that purpose, the intellectual background, purpose, key principles and subsequent applications of the INM are presented. Since the overall purpose of the Special Issue is to take research inspired by the INM further, this paper gives, second, an overview of some of the main critiques raised against the INM. Third, the relevance of the different papers of the Special Issue is framed within these critiques. The papers in the Special Issue can be divided in two groups: while the first set discusses the measurement framework, the second focuses on the conceptual remit of the INM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroeconomic imbalances are a substantial characteristic of the recent economic crisis in Europe. As several authors emphasise the impact of the state, public institutions and territorial structures on the world city, the impact of the crisis on the economic performance of global cities becomes a crucial question. After discussing the theoretical aspects of the state - global city linkages and discussing two fields of influence on the global city formation, the empirical section analyses the deviation of national and regional growth performance to estimate the decoupling of European global cities from the national economies. The results show that the correlation between European global cities and the national scale also depends on the form of capitalism and the territorial organisation of statehood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]