The Global City Hypothesis for the Periphery: A Comparative Case Study of Mexico City, Istanbul and Guangzhou

Abstract

This paper analyses how the economic effects driven by the process of globalisation, such as those generated by the raise in international trade and in flows of foreign direct investment, have modified not only national economic structures but particularly and more dramatically local economic structures. This work takes the cases of Mexico City, Istanbul and Guangzhou to explore the effects of these global economic activities, in particular local economic structures, to test whether or not the Global City Hypothesis (GCH) can be applied to cities in the less developed world.