2188 3.3 Community Structure This section examines the modular community configuration of the global copper concentrate trade network, with specific focus on the structural positioning of LAC. Community detection identifies trade blocs based on relational intensity rather than geographic proximity, allowing assessment of whether LAC exporters operate within a cohesive regional cluster or are structurally embedded in globally oriented communities. As shown in Table 2, the community structure between 2010 and 2024 reveals a progressive consolidation of LAC exporters within fewer dominant communities, although not under a purely regional configuration. Table 2 - Community Composition and Global Structural Weight of Selected LAC Exporters (2010–2024) Year Selected countries grouped by community Total nodes in the community LAC nodes in the community Community share of Global Weighted Degree (%) 2010 Chile 12 1 54 Peru-Mexico 42 9 31 Brazil 41 3 13 2015 Chile-Peru 33 6 63 Mexico 11 4 8 Brazil 29 3 11 2020 Chile-PeruMexico 58 10 87 Brazil 20 1 7 2024 Chile-PeruMexico 48 8 71 Brazil 34 2 7 In 2010, Chile, Peru–Mexico, and Brazil were located in three separate communities. The Chilecentered community included 12 nodes and represented 54% of global weighted trade, while the Peru– Mexico community comprised 42 nodes (31% of global weighted trade), and Brazil belonged to a 41-node community accounting for 13%. This configuration reflects structural dispersion of LAC exporters across different global blocs. By 2015, partial consolidation emerged, with Chile and Peru sharing community membership. However, Mexico and Brazil remained structurally separated, indicating limited regional cohesion. A clearer structural shift appears in 2020, when Chile, Peru, and Mexico converge into a single dominant community composed of 58 nodes and accounting for 87% of global weighted trade. Brazil remains outside this grouping. This dual structure persists in 2024, where the Chile–Peru–Mexico community contains 48 nodes and captures 71% of global weighted trade, while Brazil forms part of a separate 34-node community (7%), which includes Panama.
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