Elisa Flori

Progetto di ricerca

Essays on Applied Network Theory

This thesis consists of three essays in applied economics.In all articles, we use network analysis techniques to explore critical aspects of global supply chains. In Chapter 1, we examine the resilience properties of the automotive supply chain through the bow-tie taxonomy lens, which arises from customer-supplier relationships in the direct network. We suggest that the extent of shock propagation depends on the bow-tie zone from which the perturbation originates. Moreover, we identify resistance structures within some regions of the network. We offer insights into both the fragility and resilience of different network components and the pathways through which shocks spread. The level of abstraction employed in our study enables the generalization of these findings to other systems depictable as directed graphs. In Chapter 2, we apply agent-based simulation models to evaluate the short-run effects of several lockdown policies on the global automotive industry. Our results reveal the need to consider the specific position of afirm along its supply chain when implementing restrictive measures to business activities. We also show that companies with a high elasticity of substitution for production inputs suffer lower disruptions than those with a more rigid input mix. Therefore, targeted lockdown policies may be less expensive than generalized blocks across entire sectors. These insights allow policymakers to make informed decisions about intervention strategies and recommend that managers adopt flexible supply management approaches. In Chapter 3, we analyze the supply chain network structure of firms listed in the German DAX 30 index.Starting from the literature on buyer-seller matching, we identify four key features of the German economy related to: (i) the heterogeneity of ties (with skewness); (ii) the centrality of larger firms; (iii) the complementarity between large and small firms; (iv) the multi-level hierarchical organization of the national system. These empirical regularities are coherent with recognized properties of international production networks and provide a framework for assessing the resilience of German companies to the recentCOVID-19 outbreak. We find that the pandemic crisis significantly impacted focal firms; however, recovery times were shorter for companies that diversify their customer base across multiple sectors. While focal firms are susceptible to exogenous shocks, they can mitigate their negative consequences through diversification.

Pubblicazioni

Articles in peer-reviewed journals
Flori, E., Paterlini, S., Pattarin, F., and Villani, M. Evaluation of the pandemic impact on global automotive supply chain through network analysis. Accepted in the Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination.

Flori, E., Caruso, G., Pattarin, F., and Solinas, G. (2024). The global structure of the automotive industry: A network-based view. International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management 24(2), 193-216.

Doś, A., Błach, J., Lipowicz, M., Pattarin, F., and Flori, E. (2023). Institutional drivers of voluntary carbon reduction targets setting. Evidence from Poland and Hungary. Sustainability 15(14), 111555.

Chapters in edited books
Flori, E., Zhu, Y., Paterlini, S., Pattarin, F., and Villani, M. (2022). Spread of perturbations in supply chain networks: The effect of the bow-tie organization on the resilience of the global automotive system. In: De Stefano, C., Fontanella, F., Vanneschi, L. (Eds.), Artificial Life and Evolutionary Computation. WIVACE 2022. Communications in Computer and Information Science 1780. Springer, 40-57.

Working papers
Flori, E., von Jacobi, N., Segnana, M. L., and Paterlini, S. A network perspective on the DAX 30 supply chain: Stylized facts and resilience. Available at SSRN 4669504.

Flori, E., Paba, S., and Pattarin, F. Assessing the role of Chinese suppliers in the European automotive market. Ongoing project.

Doś, A., Flori, E., Łasak, P., and Pattarin, F. Institutional and organizational patterns of cyber security performance in corporations – international evidence. Ongoing project.