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R otterdam and A msterdam as Trading Places? In Search of the Economic‐Geographical Nexus between Global Commodity Chains and World Cities
Author(s) -
Jacobs Wouter
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1467-9663
pISSN - 0040-747X
DOI - 10.1111/tesg.12107
Subject(s) - commodity , nexus (standard) , port (circuit theory) , commerce , business , distribution (mathematics) , industrial organization , economic geography , international trade , economy , economics , finance , computer science , engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , electrical engineering , embedded system
This Windows on the N etherlands addresses the economic geography of commodity trade by providing insights from two D utch port cities: R otterdam and A msterdam. It is argued that commodity traders provide an empirical site for uncovering the missing links between research on world cities on the one hand, and global commodity chains on the other. Commodity trading is compelling as it is linked both with the financial sector (financing and paper trade) and with the production and distribution of commodities (storage and transportation). However, these two activities do not necessarily need to be in geographical proximity. R otterdam and A msterdam handle large volumes of commodities flowing through their ports, but the trading desks of the large commodity houses handle the trade transactions. There is a strong presence of the world's largest commodity traders in the N etherlands, which include not only the port‐based physical‐operational functions but also the trading desks, treasuries and holding companies. The paper concludes with an overview of avenues for further research.