Changes in the command and control potential of European cities in 2006-2016

Sławomir Dorocki,Anna Winiarczyk-Raźniak,Piotr Raźniak

doi:10.7163/gpol.0149

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze changes in the command and control functions of cities in 2006 and 2016 based on the method of gravity centers. The analysis was performed both for individual sectors of the economy as well as for the European economy as a whole. The shift in the center of gravity of the studied command and control functions of cities in the direction of Central Eastern Europe is examined in the paper. The fairly recent development of CEE and European integration increasing to the east and south has triggered the relocation of many companies from west to east and has also increased the importance of local companies. It may therefore be argued that the importance of the command and control functions of cities in developing countries has also increased (Poland, Russia). There is also a related decline in the importance of the so-called blue banana region and cities in Great Britain and Germany. This is especially visible in terms of the number of corporate headquarters in the western part of the continent. However, the shift in capital is not that clear – and both German and British corporations still remain the leaders in Europe.

Highlights

The strength of a city on the international stage may be measured in a number of ways
The shift in the center of gravity of the studied command and control functions of cities in the direction of Central Eastern Europe is examined in the paper
It may be argued that the command and control function of cities (C&C) is a most basic element that is needed in order to understand them in the era of globalization (Ni et al 2011)

Summary

Introduction

The strength of a city on the international stage may be measured in a number of ways. One of the seven notions of the world city argues that the global command and control functions of international corporations are directly related to the activity of the Sławomir DorockiPiotr RaźniakAnna Winiarczyk-Raźniak production sector (Friedmann 1986). In the modern globalized world, the significance of physical distance is decreasing in terms of the movement of the labor force and movement of capital. This leads to the emergence of an international economic system, with increasing linkages between corporations and between cities (Sassen 2000). Csomós (2013), the companies that perform the command and control function of cities are the 2,000 companies found on the Forbes Global 2000 list (www.forbes.com)

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