To promote research on the resilience of lengthy global supply chains, the risks of interruption in the delivery of goods and services that rely on them, and strategies for risk mitigation, the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), with the support of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and in collaboration with the DHS Science and Technology Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Threat Screening (CBTS) at Texas A&M University, is carrying out a research project on “Supply Chain Resilience and Its Determinants.” This initiative will be led by NBER research affiliates Laura Alfaro of Harvard University and Chad Syverson of the University of Chicago. It will bring together researchers in various subfields of economics – international trade, industrial organization, labor economics, organization economics, productivity, and regulation – to study risks and resilience in supply chains.
This initiative will support up to six research projects on supply chain resilience, with particular emphasis on industries that DHS has identified as supporting National Critical Functions (NCFs). These functions, which involve supply, distribution, management, and connection in a number of industries, are described here:
https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/national-critical-functions-set-508.pdf NCF-related industries include, but are not limited to, chemicals, communications, emergency services, information technology, manufacturing, and transportation.
Examples of potential research topics include:
- How can the potential substitution of sourcing across potential suppliers be measured? How does the time interval being studied, such as a month, a quarter, or a year, affect estimates of substitution possibilities? How large are the substitution possibilities in the supply chains for critical products, and how can critical links in supply chains be identified?
- What is the potential for re-shoring global supply chain activities for products used in the US to either North America or to the US, and how would this affect supply chain risks?
- What investments do firms with global supply chains make in risk mitigation and in the development of more resilient and robust suppliers? How do public policies affect the extent of these investments?
- What share of the benefits of reductions in supply chain risk accrue to the firms that make such investments? Do the national benefits from risk mitigation exceed the firm-specific benefits?
- How do transportation networks contribute to supply chain risks? Can investments in transportation infrastructure improve supply chain resilience?
- How does the organizational structure of supplier relationships, such as arms-length versus integration, subsidiaries versus distinct businesses, and the degree of delegation, affect the risk of supply chains?
- What is the role for industry or governmental superstructure in critical industries? Are there lessons from existing institutions in some industries, for example the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) in electricity generation?
- What lessons can be learned from case studies of specific instances of supply chain interruptions, and the response to them? How can such episodes be used to assess the risks of other supply chains?
- How can potential national emergencies, such as a pandemic, or natural disasters, such as a hurricane striking a region with critical infrastructure in a particular industry, disrupt supply chains, and how can investments by the public and private sectors improve recovery times in such situations?
Researchers interested in studying these topics, or others that relate to supply-chain risk as it relates to critical functions, should submit a proposal of no more than five pages, single spaced, including references, tables, graphs, and other supplementary material, in PDF format by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, January 30, 2025. Each proposal should describe the research question to be studied, the data and methods to be used, and the composition of the research team that will be carrying out the project, along with a conflict-of-interest statement describing any financial or other interests of the research team that might bear on the proposed work. Proposals from early-career researchers, from members of under-represented groups, from individuals with disabilities, and from veterans are especially welcome.
The co-organizers will review the proposals for scientific merit and feasibility. Final project selection will be made in consultation with DHS collaborators and sponsors who will review the relevancy to issues in the DHS’ scope. The research team for each project will receive funds for principal investigator support, a graduate research assistant, and travel. Researchers whose proposals are selected for support will be notified by early March, 2025. All research teams will be expected to participate in a capstone research conference in 2026.
Investigators and research assistants must be eligible to be paid NBER employees; the NBER will not make sub-awards. Funding for each project will include $36,000 of investigator salary support and up to $20,000 in graduate student support. Proposals should be uploaded to:
Questions can be directed to Ms. Abigail Murphy (amurphy@nber.org).