ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC NETWORKS - GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION-SYSTEMS AS AVISUALIZATION TOOL

This paper offers a simple methodology for the analysis of socio-econo mic networks, aimed at improving the understanding of wider industrial ization processes and the potential of lower-ranked enterprises to adv ance to higher levels of development. It emphasizes the role of GIS as a visualization tool, the human ability to interpret complex network patterns and the GIS advantage of quick spatial investigation. The met hodology involves a breakdown of the overall pattern into sub-patterns performed in a number of stages, each consisting of several steps, Ea ch stage is based on a newly selected factor(s), after the application of the former factor(s) has been completed. After the most visible pa tterns have been removed, the investigation proceeds to the analysis o f the residual patterns. The potential of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by its application to the analysis of sales and purchasin g linkages of Arab industrial plants in Israel. The network is expande d into the following main patterns: links to metropolitan core, links to adjacent Jewish towns, intra-settlements links and interregional li nks. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.