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Agricultural Trade Networks and Patterns of Economic Development

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  • Shade T Shutters
  • Rachata Muneepeerakul

Abstract

International trade networks are manifestations of a complex combination of diverse underlying factors, both natural and social. Here we apply social network analytics to the international trade network of agricultural products to better understand the nature of this network and its relation to patterns of international development. Using a network tool known as triadic analysis we develop triad significance profiles for a series of agricultural commodities traded among countries. Results reveal a novel network “superfamily” combining properties of biological information processing networks and human social networks. To better understand this unique network signature, we examine in more detail the degree and triadic distributions within the trade network by country and commodity. Our results show that countries fall into two very distinct classes based on their triadic frequencies. Roughly 165 countries fall into one class while 18, all highly isolated with respect to international agricultural trade, fall into the other. Only Vietnam stands out as a unique case. Finally, we show that as a country becomes less isolated with respect to number of trading partners, the country's triadic signature follows a predictable trajectory that may correspond to a trajectory of development.

Suggested Citation

  • Shade T Shutters & Rachata Muneepeerakul, 2012. "Agricultural Trade Networks and Patterns of Economic Development," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-9, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0039756
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039756
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Garlaschelli, Diego & Loffredo, Maria I., 2005. "Structure and evolution of the world trade network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 355(1), pages 138-144.
    2. D. Garlaschelli & M. I. Loffredo, 2005. "Structure and Evolution of the World Trade Network," Papers physics/0502066, arXiv.org, revised May 2005.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mercedes Campi & Marco Duenas & Giorgio Fagiolo, 2020. "Specialization in food production, global food security and sustainability," LEM Papers Series 2020/05, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    2. Mercedes Campi & Marco Dueñas & Giorgio Fagiolo, 2019. "How do countries specialize in food production? A complex-network analysis of the global agricultural product space," Documentos de trabajo del Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política IIEP (UBA-CONICET) 2020-48, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Instituto Interdisciplinario de Economía Política IIEP (UBA-CONICET).
    3. Sartori, Martina & Schiavo, Stefano, 2015. "Connected we stand: A network perspective on trade and global food security," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 114-127.
    4. Megan Konar & Xiaowen Lin & Benjamin Ruddell & Murugesu Sivapalan, 2018. "Scaling properties of food flow networks," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(7), pages 1-21, July.
    5. Guan, Qing & An, Haizhong & Wang, Kaiming & Duan, Yueran & Zhang, Yixiong, 2020. "Functional trade patterns and their contributions to international photovoltaic trade revealed by network motifs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    6. Xiuzhi Chen & Yue Hou & Thomas Kastner & Liu Liu & Yuqian Zhang & Tuo Yin & Mo Li & Arunima Malik & Mengyu Li & Kelly R. Thorp & Siqi Han & Yaoze Liu & Tahir Muhammad & Jianguo Liu & Yunkai Li, 2023. "Physical and virtual nutrient flows in global telecoupled agricultural trade networks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Wenli Qiang & Shuwen Niu & Xiang Wang & Cuiling Zhang & Aimin Liu & Shengkui Cheng, 2019. "Evolution of the Global Agricultural Trade Network and Policy Implications for China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Sartori, Martina & Schiavo, Stefano, 2014. "Virtual water trade and country vulnerability: A network perspective," MPRA Paper 59210, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Shade T. Shutters & Keith Waters & Rachata Muneepeerakul, 2022. "Triad Analysis of Global Energy Trade Networks and Implications for Energy Trade Stability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-15, May.
    10. Wei Luo & Peifeng Yin & Qian Di & Frank Hardisty & Alan M MacEachren, 2014. "A Geovisual Analytic Approach to Understanding Geo-Social Relationships in the International Trade Network," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(2), pages 1-12, February.
    11. Aizhi Yu & Huiling She & Jingsheng Cao, 2023. "Evolution of the Spatial Patterns of Global Egg Trading Networks in the 21 Century," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-16, August.

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