Fundamental change in financial power structures

Political economist and lead researcher Eelke Heemskerk Never before has the international network of global business been mapped out in such detail as it has been by researchers from the University of Amsterdam over the past 7 years. Their network analysis of 200 million companies gives us insight into how financial power has shifted in recent years. 'There are two sides to the current structure. A lot of power is concentrated, but there also seems to be some momentum for sustainable change', says lead researcher Eelke Heemskerk. These days, companies are usually no longer based in one location, but often consist of several subsidiaries that are spread around the world and are interconnected with each other and with other companies. Who holds the power and influence within this global network? This is what political economist Eelke Heemskerk and his team have been researching for the past seven years within the CORPNET project, supported by an ERC Starting Grant from the European Research Council. Heemskerk shares some of the highlights of the discoveries they made during those years.