Network Analysis of the US–China Hegemonic Transition

Abstract

This study examined the hegemonic transition between the US and China in a network analysis. Indicators of gross output such as GDP, GNP, and CINC, when used in analyzing state power or hegemonic transitions between superpowers, do not accurately reflect states’ influence. Unlike these traditional indicators, network centrality is useful for determining which powerful states have hegemony and whether a hegemonic transition is in progress or not. Analyzing the hegemonic transition between the US and China with this useful technique, we argue that the US still maintains hegemony in international relations. Although some indicators in the economic domain of international relations suggest that power has been shifting from the US to China at the micro level, it is obvious that the US still maintains hegemony at all levels in the political, military, and cultural sectors, and that it still dominates other states at the meso and macro levels in the economic sector. This study has two important implications. First, we present an approach to analyze and evaluate hegemonic transitions in international relations by matching hegemony, a key concept in international relations theory, and centrality, a core concept in network science. Second, this study assess the possibility of hegemonic transition between the US and China, which is a current issue in international relations research, through the very suitable method of network analysis.