Network comparison of socialization, learning and collaboration in the C40 cities climate group

Global cities are interacting with each other to collectively tackle climate change. This study examines the association between three types of interactions—socialization, learning, and collaboration—in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network of the world’s megacities. Regarding the C40 member cities, I ask the following questions: with whom do cities meet, seek information, and collaborate? How is network centrality associated with each activity? How is an initial socialization process associated with cities’ learning and collaborative relationships? Formal or informal networks provide opportunities for socialization, which can be an important explanatory factor for learning and collaboration. While studies on socialization have analyzed the conditions that facilitate changes in norms and policy, network analysis on the association between socialization, learning, and collaboration in a global organization are rare. This study assesses the centralities of cities and network correlation, using the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP) to test a hypothesis that socialization ties (formal/ informal meetings) are likely associated with learning and collaboration ties. Based on a network survey of C40 member cities, this network analysis suggests that networks of socialization correlate with those of learning and collaboration, thus confirming the importance of socialization in learning and collaboration activities.