Evolution of the Commonwealth Trade Network: Hubs, Criticality and Global Value Chains

This paper studies the evolution of the Commonwealth trade network and considers the interrelationship between Commonwealth member countries and other important players in the global economy, and intra-Commonwealth country trade flows. Rich trade data from multiple economic sectors in the 1995–2011 period are analysed using complex network analysis tools. The paper finds that the Commonwealth is divided into three strongly connected hubs and provides important links for several global value chains, among other findings.