The layered structure of global trade

World wheat-trade network under a simulated US production shock. A wheat illustration wilts; dashed red arrows then show reduced flows spreading from the United States, and blue arrows show approximately conserved flows. Red country fills highlight the shock origin and selected recipients with reduced imports against a sage geographic background. — A simulated shock to US wheat production changes trade flows. Dashed red arrows show reduced flows; blue arrows show flows that remain approximately unchanged. Red-filled countries mark the shock origin and selected recipients with reduced wheat imports. This view shows selected relationships from one simulation, not an observed event or a measure of food insecurity; the order in which the losses appear is schematic.

International trade connects countries through different commodities and industries. Keeping those relations separate reveals structures that an aggregate trade network can obscure, from commodity-specific communities to interactions within and across production sectors.

Our studies examine the multilayer organisation of global value chains, communities in food trade, and regionalisation and cross-region integration in automotive trade. These perspectives describe how trading relationships are organised at several scales.

Network-based simulations also examine how shocks to domestic food production propagate through international trade. They show that exposure to external shocks and protection against domestic shortages differ across countries. The structure of trade therefore matters when assessing food-security risks.

The Food Connections resource page links to project materials, data and simulation tools on trade and food and nutrition security.