Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in
Springer
De Economist

Netherlands Economic Review

Publishing model:
Hybrid
Submit your manuscript

De Economist - Call for Papers: Global Trade in a Fragmenting World – Reshoring, Friendshoring, and Geopolitical Uncertainty

Guest Editor: Hylke Vandenbussch, University of Leuven (KULeuven), Belgium

Overview

Global trade and foreign investment are undergoing profound transformations, shaped by rising geopolitical tensions, economic nationalism, shifts in global production networks and the rise of e-commerce. The COVID-19 pandemic, trade wars, and geopolitical rivalries have prompted firms and governments to reconsider the efficiency-driven model of globalization and open borders to investment in favor of supply chain resilience and national security concerns. Concepts such as investment screening, reshoring, nearshoring, and friend-shoring are becoming increasingly central to trade and investment decisions, leading to trade and investment fragmentation and new policy challenges. Also, the rise of digital technologies and e-commerce is changing the nature of global trade.

This Collection aims to bring together cutting-edge research on the causes, consequences, and policy implications of trade fragmentation. We invite theoretical and empirical contributions that explore the evolving landscape of global trade, its impact on firms and economies, and the role of policymakers in navigating these changes.

Potential Topics

We welcome submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:

1. Global Value Chains (GVCs) and Supply Chain Restructuring

  • The impact of reshoring, nearshoring, and friendshoring on global supply chains.
  • Empirical evidence on firms’ supply chain diversification strategies.
  • The role of automation, AI, and technological advances in facilitating reshoring.

2. Geopolitical Risks and Trade Policy Uncertainty

  • The effects of U.S.-China decoupling on trade, investment, and global production networks.
  • Trade fragmentation in a multipolar world: EU, China, U.S., and the rise of regionalism.
  • The role of economic sanctions, export controls, and national security in trade policy.

3. The Rise of Economic Nationalism and Industrial Policy

  • The resurgence of industrial policy and strategic trade intervention.
  • Comparing the effectiveness of industrial strategies across different regions.
  • The economic and trade consequences of subsidies for critical industries.

4. Trade and Investment Diversification Strategies

  • The role of regional trade agreements in reshaping trade flows.
  • The role of FDI and its effect on local productivity

5. The Role of Emerging Markets in a Fragmenting World

  • How developing economies are adjusting to trade fragmentation.
  • The role of South-South trade in mitigating global trade disruptions.
  • The impact of supply chain shifts on developing countries’ export performance.

6. Resilience vs. Efficiency: New Trade-offs in Global Trade

  • Trade-offs between just-in-time (JIT) and just-in-case (JIC) supply chain models.
  • The macroeconomic costs of trade fragmentation: inflation, slower productivity growth, and reduced innovation spillovers.

7. Digital Trade, E-Commerce, and the Future of Globalization

  • The role of digital platforms in reshaping global trade
  • How e-commerce is facilitating cross-border trade in a world of increasing trade barriers.
  • The rise of digital services trade and its implications for traditional manufacturing hubs.
  • Cybersecurity risks and digital supply chain resilience.

8. Trade Policy and WTO Reforms in an Era of Fragmentation

  • The effectiveness of plurilateral trade agreements in addressing fragmentation.
  • The role of WTO dispute settlement in an increasingly protectionist world.
  • The potential for new trade blocs and their implications for global governance.


The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 30 September 2025. Please indicate on your title page that the paper is intended for inclusion in the Collection on Global Trade in a Fragmenting World - Reshoring, Friendshoring, and Geopolitical Uncertainty. Papers will be sent out for review to referees and the usual standards apply. An accelerated review process with final decisions within six months is aimed at with a target to complete the Collection in spring 2026.



Journal navigation