An evolutionary model of the international logistics network based on the Belt and Road perspective

Dezhi Zhang, Fangtao Zhang and Yijing Liang

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2021, vol. 572, issue C

Abstract: This paper presents a novel evolutionary model that captures the characteristics and the evolutionary pattern of an international logistics network in the context of the Belt and Road. In this study, the logistics network is considered as a complex self-adapting system, in which a new node is added by preferential attachment, and evolution is an iterative process of interaction among factors, such as the social economy, infrastructure construction and international relations. Grounded in the continuum theory, the model is deduced with rigorous derivation, and the results show that the proposed model can accurately reflect the degree distribution of the international logistics network, which follows a shifted power law. Simulation experiments are conducted to demonstrate the interaction process, and the simulated network presents a hierarchical pattern of “several central nodes and a large number of peripheral nodes”. China, South Korea, India, Indonesia and the Russian Federation are considered central nodes and have a significant influence on the B&R international logistics network.

Keywords: The Belt and Road; International logistics network; Evolutionary model; Self-adapting system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:572:y:2021:i:c:s0378437121001394

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2021.125867

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