Open Access
Peer-Reviewed
Research Article
The Network of Global Corporate Control
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Stefania Vitali,
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James B. Glattfelder,
-
Stefano Battiston
mail
- Published: Oct 26, 2011
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025995
Abstract
The
structure of the control network of transnational corporations affects
global market competition and financial stability. So far, only small
national samples were studied and there was no appropriate methodology
to assess control globally. We present the first investigation of the
architecture of the international ownership network, along with the
computation of the control held by each global player. We find that
transnational corporations form a giant bow-tie structure and that a
large portion of control flows to a small tightly-knit core of financial
institutions. This core can be seen as an economic “super-entity” that
raises new important issues both for researchers and policy makers.
