This article proposes a network-analytical framework for the comparative study of nationalproduction structures in global production networks. Conceptualizing such structures as thenetworks of sectorial flows in nationally delineated components of multiregional input-outputtables, the proposed heuristic extracts a structural profile that captures the up- and downstreamprominence of economic sectors for a particular country and year. These ‘fingerprints’ of national -production structures can subsequently be compared on a pairwise basis, providing novel ways todetermine and compare the structural similarities, transformations, and trajectories of nationaleconomies in the global production regime.

Two case studies exemplify the heuristic. The first applies clustering methods to explorespatiotemporal similarities for 40 countries over the 1995-2011 period. Based on such similarities, ananalytically useful classification into 12 structural types is proposed. The second study addressesstructural transformations and trajectories during EU’s eastern enlargement, finding significantstructural change, yet minuscule East-West convergence.