globalization and world cities research network

Alpha and Alpha- cities are the 13 and 22 cities, respectively, that link major economic regions into the world economy.

Alpha+ cities are the eight cities that complement London and New York City by filling advanced service niches for the global economy.

Alpha++ cities are London and New York City, which are vastly more integrated with the global economy than all other cities.

The following is a general guide to the rankings as of the most recent (2012) update: Beyond the categories of 'Alpha' world cities (with four sub-categories), 'Beta' world cities (three sub-categories) and 'Gamma' world cities (three sub-categories), the GaWC cities include additional cities at 'High sufficiency' and 'Sufficiency' level. The GaWC inventory ranks city economics more heavily than political or cultural factors. The GaWC examines the thousands of cities on earth to narrow them down to a roster of 307 world cities, then ranks these based on their connectivity through four 'advanced producer services': accountancy, advertising, banking/finance, and law. Smith, they create the GaWC's bi-annual categorization of world cities into 'Alpha', 'Beta' and 'Gamma' tiers, based upon their international connectedness.

Taylor in 1998, Together with Jon Beaverstock and Richard G. The Globalization and World Cities Research Network, commonly abbreviated to GaWC, is a think tank based in the Geography department at Loughborough University in England, that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization.

Globalization and world cities research network