https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01657-4
Regular Article
Competitors’ communities and taxonomy of products according to export fluxes
1 “Sapienza”, Università di Roma, Dip. Fisica, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
2 ISC-CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Roma, Italy
3 ISC-CNR, Dip. Fisica“Sapienza”, Università di Roma, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy
4 London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, South Street 35a, Mayfair London, UK
5 IMT, Institute for Advanced Studies, Piazza S. Ponziano, 6, 55100 Lucca, Italy
Received:
31
May
2012
Revised:
23
July
2012
Published online:
17
September
2012
In this paper we use Complex Network Theory to quantitatively characterize and synthetically describe the complexity of trade between nations. In particular, we focus our attention on export fluxes. Starting from the bipartite countries-products network defined by export fluxes, we define two complementary graphs projecting the original network on countries and products respectively. We define, in both cases, a distance matrix amongst countries and products. Specifically, two countries are similar if they export similar products. This relationship can be quantified by building the Minimum Spanning Tree and the Minimum Spanning Forest from the distance matrices for products and countries. Through this simple and scalable method we are also able to carry out a community analysis. It is not gone unnoticed that in this way we can produce an effective categorization for products providing several advantages with respect to traditional classifications of COMTRADE [1]. Finally, the forests of countries allows for the detection of competitors’ community and for the analysis of the evolution of these communities.
© EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag, 2012
