Most influential countries in the international medical device trade: network-based analysis

Bai, X., Hu, X., Wang, C., Lim, M. K. , Vilela, A. L.M., Ghadimi, P., Yao, C., Stanley, H. E. and Xu, H. (2022) Most influential countries in the international medical device trade: network-based analysis. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 604, 127889. (doi: 10.1016/j.physa.2022.127889) (PMID:35813460) (PMCID:PMC9250171)

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the international medical device trade has received extensive attention. To maintain the domestic supply of medical devices, some countries have sought multilateral trade cooperation or simply implemented export restrictions, which has exacerbated the instability and fragility of the global medical device market. It is crucial for government policymakers to identify the most influential countries in the international medical device trade and nip exports in the bud. However, few efforts have been made in previous studies to explore various countries’ influence on the international medical device trade in light of their intricate trade relationships. To fill these research gaps, this study constructs a global medical device trade network (GMDTN) and explores the criticality of various countries from a network-based perspective. The evolution patterns and geographical distribution of influence among countries in the GMDTN are revealed. Details on the ways in which the influence of some crucial countries has formed are provided. The results show that the global medical device trade market is export oriented. The formation of some countries’ strong influence may be due to their large number of trading partners or the deep dependence of some of those trading partners on that country (namely, breadth- or depth-based patterns). It is worth noting that the US has a dominant position in the international medical device trade in terms of both breadth and depth. In addition, some countries play a critical role as intermediate points in the influence formation process of other countries, although these countries are not critical direct trading partners. The findings of this study provide implications for policymakers seeking to understand the influence of countries on the international medical device trade and to proactively prepare responses to unexpected changes in this trade.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72101164, 72071006). Dr. Xiao Bai acknowledges financial support from the Youth Start-up Fund of Beijing Tsinghua Changgeng Hospital (12021C1002). Dr. Xiaoqian Hu and Dr. Cuiyou Yao acknowledge financial support from the Capital University of Economics and Business of Beijing Municipal Universities’ Basic Scientific Research Funds (XRZ2021067, ZD202105).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lim, Professor Ming

Creator Roles

Lim, M. K.: Writing – review and editing, Supervision

• Authors: Bai, X., Hu, X., Wang, C., Lim, M. K., Vilela, A. L.M., Ghadimi, P., Yao, C., Stanley, H. E., and Xu, H.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0378-4371
• ISSN (Online): 1873-2119
• Published Online: 02 July 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
• First Published: First published in Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications 604: 127889
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy