How does the global metal industry value network affect industrial structure upgrading ? The perspective of industry chain

Abstract

The global metal industry value network (GMIVN) can reveal the status of an economy in the global metal industry chain and value chain, while the traditional metal trade networks cannot deeply reflect the global metal industry pattern and the competitive capacity of an economy's metal industry. Moreover, the GMIVN also performs an irreplaceable role in the process of the industrial structure upgrading. This paper uses network analysis and panel regression to investigate the characteristics of the GMIVN and its influence on the upgrading of industrial structure in the ways of the industry chain. The main findings are as follows: (1) The GMIVN has always been compacting shows “small world” characteristics. The network structure features of the value network of the middle and lower industry are highly consistent with those of GMIVN. (2) The distribution pattern of the core economies in the value network of the global metal industry is stable and concentrated. The U.S., Germany, China, and the U.K. exert significant impact in all links of the global metal industry chain and value chain. However, major metal resource exporters are at a lower position in the global value network of the metal industry and exert limited influence. (3) The higher the central and independent status of an economy in global metal trade or the more high-influence trading partners it has, the more advanced its industrial structure will be. Furthermore, the centrality of the value network of the middle and lower industry exerts a larger influence on the upgrading of industrial structure than that of the value network of the upper industry.