IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolet/v255y2025ics0165176525003532.html

Economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and firm supply chain disruption risk

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Wenpeng
  • Wang, Jiaqi
  • Wang, Shan

Abstract

Using data from Chinese A-share listed firms (2003–2023), this paper investigates the impact of macroeconomic uncertainty on supply chain disruption risk and examines the mitigating effect of digital transformation by strengthening firms’ resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Wenpeng & Wang, Jiaqi & Wang, Shan, 2025. "Economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and firm supply chain disruption risk," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:255:y:2025:i:c:s0165176525003532
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2025.112516
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176525003532
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econlet.2025.112516?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Huang, Yun & Luk, Paul, 2020. "Measuring economic policy uncertainty in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    2. Alexandr Kopytov & Bineet Mishra & Kristoffer Nimark & Mathieu Taschereau‐Dumouchel, 2024. "Endogenous Production Networks Under Supply Chain Uncertainty," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 92(5), pages 1621-1659, September.
    3. Huang, Zhuo & Tong, Chen & Qiu, Han & Shen, Yan, 2018. "The spillover of macroeconomic uncertainty between the U.S. and China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 123-127.
    4. Zhou, Huiyang & Wang, Ruzhou & Zhang, Xiyu & Chang, Minyen, 2024. "The impact of digital technology adoption on corporate supply chain concentration: Evidence from patent analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Vasco M Carvalho & Makoto Nirei & Yukiko U Saito & Alireza Tahbaz-Salehi, 2021. "Supply Chain Disruptions: Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(2), pages 1255-1321.
    6. Jae Sim & Egon Zakrajsek & Simon Gilchrist, 2010. "Uncertainty, Financial Frictions, and Investment Dynamics," 2010 Meeting Papers 1285, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Kyle Jurado & Sydney C. Ludvigson & Serena Ng, 2015. "Measuring Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(3), pages 1177-1216, March.
    8. Kai Li & Feng Mai & Rui Shen & Xinyan Yan, 2021. "Measuring Corporate Culture Using Machine Learning," NBER Chapters, in: Big Data: Long-Term Implications for Financial Markets and Firms, pages 3265-3315, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Cai, Junjie & Sharkawi, Ismawati & Taasim, Shairil Izwan, 2024. "How does digital transformation promote supply chain diversification? From the perspective of supply chain transaction costs," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    10. Merín-Rodrigáñez, Joan & Dasí, Àngels & Alegre, Joaquín, 2024. "Digital transformation and firm performance in innovative SMEs: The mediating role of business model innovation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    11. Favara, Giovanni & Gao, Janet & Giannetti, Mariassunta, 2021. "Uncertainty, access to debt, and firm precautionary behavior," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 436-453.
    12. Kai Li & Feng Mai & Rui Shen & Xinyan Yan, 2021. "Measuring Corporate Culture Using Machine Learning [Machine learning methods that economists should know about]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(7), pages 3265-3315.
    13. James Levinsohn & Amil Petrin, 2003. "Estimating Production Functions Using Inputs to Control for Unobservables," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(2), pages 317-341.
    14. Sun, Kaili & Wang, Haohan & Ye, Shengchao, 2025. "How does digital transformation enhance industrial chain resilience? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    15. Cheng, Yiran & Zhou, Xiaorui & Li, Yongjian, 2023. "The effect of digital transformation on real economy enterprises’ total factor productivity," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 488-501.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. An, Qiguang & Wang, Yongkai & Liu, Feini & Wang, Ruoyu, 2025. "Does the integration of digital and real economies enhance corporate supply chain resilience? Evidence from China’s listed firms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    2. Zhang, Chenrui, 2025. "How does enterprise digital transformation affect the cost of debt financing? Based on the perspective of customer concentration risk," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    3. Cheng, Dongshu & Wei, Ying & Zhang, Mengchen & Wang, Chang, 2025. "The smart city pilot policy and corporate supply chain resilience," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    4. Asterios Stroumpoulis & Evangelia Kopanaki, 2025. "Examining the Relationship Between Sustainable Strategies, Digital Transformation and Organizational Context: Evidence from 3PL Companies in Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-26, October.
    5. Bai, Shizhen & He, Hao & Han, Chunjia & Yang, Mu & Shang, Wen-Long & Fan, Weijia, 2025. "What is the focus of energy supply chain relationship management during geopolitical risks? Evidence from the stock market based on transaction cost economics," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    6. Li, Shoukun & Xu, YuXue, 2025. "Supply chain finance, information transparency, and corporate earnings management," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    7. Gao, Yue & Zhu, Yun, 2025. "Government debt settlement and corporate supply chain resilience–an empirical study based on china's special supervision campaign," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PG).
    8. Li, Jian & Yi, Mei & Sun, Qing, 2025. "Artificial intelligence and supply chain risk: Mediating effects of supply chain efficiency and resilience," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 108(PA).
    9. Zhang, Shihan & Ai, Shangle, 2025. "Digital finance and urban ecological resilience," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    10. Peng, Zhang, 2025. "Transforming energy resilience through supply chain digitization: risk management as a mediator," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    11. Du, Weijian & Cheng, Cheng & Li, Mengjie, 2025. "Can listed company digitization reduce the risk of export failure? Evidence from multisource heterogeneous data in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. Luminita Zait & Oana Ancuta Stangaciu & Laura Catalina Timiras & Ionela Cristina Breahna Pravat & Aristita Rotila & Bogdan-Vasile Nichifor, 2026. "Integration of the EU Member States into Global Value Chains and the Impact on Microeconomic Performance in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 28(71), pages 1-69, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Han, Haozhe & Wang, Xingjian, 2023. "Monetary policy uncertainty and corporate cash holdings: Evidence from China," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Liu, Xinheng & Pan, Sishi & Li, Shuxian & Yang, Xin & Huang, Chuangxia, 2024. "Unraveling the causal impact: Oil price uncertainty on firms’ productivity in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    3. Murad, S.M. Woahid & Pathan, Shams & Durand, Robert B. & Zheng, Chen, 2025. "Understanding Bank-Level Uncertainty: New insights into banking activity and its macroeconomic impacts," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    4. Niu, Tong & Yu, Qiuliang, 2025. "The contagion of uncertainty perceptions in value chains: Firm evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Li, Jian & Yi, Mei & Sun, Qing, 2025. "Artificial intelligence and supply chain risk: Mediating effects of supply chain efficiency and resilience," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 108(PA).
    6. Tosapol Apaitan & Pongsak Luangaram & Pym Manopimoke, 2022. "Uncertainty in an emerging market economy: evidence from Thailand," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 933-989, March.
    7. Lee, Kiryoung & Choi, Eunseon & Kim, Minki, 2023. "Twitter-based Chinese economic policy uncertainty," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    8. Yin, Doudou & Si, Deng-Kui & Wang, Yun, 2024. "How does corporate investment respond to trade policy uncertainty in China? The role of political connections," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1429-1445.
    9. Wu, Ji & Yao, Yao & Chen, Minghua & Jeon, Bang Nam, 2020. "Economic uncertainty and bank risk: Evidence from emerging economies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    10. Li, Lu & Yuan, Xi & Wei, Shuang & Yang, Guochao, 2024. "Heterogeneous uncertainty matters! Evidence based on firms' cost management decisions," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Bańbura, Marta & Albani, Maria & Ambrocio, Gene & Bursian, Dirk & Buss, Ginters & de Winter, Jasper & Gavura, Miroslav & Giordano, Claire & Júlio, Paulo & Le Roux, Julien & Lozej, Matija & Malthe-Thag, 2018. "Business investment in EU countries," Occasional Paper Series 215, European Central Bank.
    12. Nguyen, Quang Minh Nhi & Do, Trung K., 2025. "Supply chain risk and capital structure decisions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    13. Chatjuthamard, Pattanaporn & Wongboonsin, Kua & Ongsakul, Viput & Jiraporn, Pornsit, 2024. "Corporate culture, staggered boards, and managerial entrenchment: Evidence from textual analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 404-418.
    14. Tang, Haobo & Zhang, Huan & Guan, Yuzhen & Wang, Hexuan, 2024. "Is human capital risk lower in state-owned enterprises? — A textual analysis based on China's listed company annual reports," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    15. Wang, Jie & Hu, Jiukai & Yu, Bo, 2025. "Risk spillover effects among Chinese policy, economy and financial markets: Evidence from mixed-frequency data," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 2263-2277.
    16. Lu, Yingchao & Chang, Hailing & Zhou, Yadan, 2025. "The impact of consumer complaints on corporate digital transformation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    17. Ersahin, Nuri & Giannetti, Mariassunta & Huang, Ruidi, 2024. "Supply chain risk: Changes in supplier composition and vertical integration," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    18. Nina Biljanovska & Francesco Grigoli & Martina Hengge, 2021. "Fear thy neighbor: Spillovers from economic policy uncertainty," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 409-438, May.
    19. Shen, Yifan & Shi, Xunpeng & Zeng, Ting, 2017. "Global Uncertainty, Macroeconomic Activity and Commodity Price," MPRA Paper 90089, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 17 Nov 2018.
    20. Yuyang Zhao & Xinyu Dong, 2024. "Fiscal Policy Uncertainty and Firms’ Production Efficiency: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-24, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:255:y:2025:i:c:s0165176525003532. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolet .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.