The Network Evolution and Influencing Factors of the Global Cultural Printed Material Trade

Li Wang (), Fang Ding, Tao Liu and Qingqing Zheng
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Li Wang: School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Fang Ding: School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Tao Liu: School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Qingqing Zheng: School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-24

Abstract: Understanding the global trade network in the printing industry is crucial for promoting sustainable development and cultural exchange and knowledge dissemination. However, the extant literature does not reveal the contours of the global cultural printed material trade network. This paper uses a social network analysis and QAP analysis to explore the global printing industry trade network pattern. The aim of this paper is to discern the core and emerging nodes and explore the evolutional characteristics on the network spatial linkage and country role. The results show the following: ① The printing industry’s global trade network is growing increasingly intricate, with trade links between nations (regions) becoming closer, the network’s connectivity steadily improving, and the hierarchical structure becoming more apparent. ② Germany, France, and Belgium are important intermediary bridges. The “circle of friends” in the trade of cultural products has a growing effect, and China can more easily establish close ties with Southeast Asia, Northern Europe, and Central and Eastern Europe. ③ The industrial chain and geographical proximity are the primary factors in the formation of the trade network. Economic proximity and political proximity significantly and positively contribute to the formation of the trade network, while institutional stability gradually plays a weaker role. As for cultural proximity, a common language and colonial relationship will positively contribute to the formation of a network, while immigrants have no obvious impact. Digital technology is becoming an “emerging force”. Additionally, this paper extends sustainable policies and recommendations for the global cultural trade.

Keywords: printing industry; global network; cultural trade (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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