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The systematic triadic case study–based testing of exploratory hypotheses begins with chapter 4, which examines the deep financial and technological drivers behind the rising prominence of global cities in twenty-first-century international politics. It is conceptually separate from the assessment of the functional variables in the succeeding chapters.

For the functional variables whose impact on the international role of global political cities is explored in the succeeding four chapters, a similar analytical approach is employed, yielding four explicit hypotheses:

 An unrestrained and diverse penumbra of power enhances a city’s global political influence (chapter 5).

 A continuous and cosmopolitan forum presence enhances a city’s global political influence (chapter 6).

 An unrestrained and internationally connected grassroots community enhances a city’s global political influence (chapter 7).

 An autonomous and activist local leader enhances a city’s global political influence (chapter 8).

These four hypotheses are explored empirically through a triad approach, generally involving various strengths of the functional variable in question. For example, chapter 7 explores the global political influence of an unconstrained and highly connected grassroots community in San Francisco; a moderately unrestrained and connected grassroots community in Seoul; and a socially connected yet politically constrained grassroots community in Hong Kong.

Through this use of concrete cases testing exploratory hypotheses, this volume seeks to provide deeper insights into the analytical concerns raised at the outset, centering on how global political cities operate, how they are changing, and how they exert influence in international affairs.