Carvalho, V. M., Nirei, M., Saito, Y. U. and Tahbaz-Salehi, A.

Supply Chain Disruptions: Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Quarterly Journal of Economics

Vol. 136(2) no. qjaa044 pp. 1255-1321 (2021)

Abstract: Exploiting the exogenous and regional nature of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, this paper provides a quantification of the role of input-output linkages as a mechanism for the propagation and amplification of shocks. We document that the disruption caused by the disaster propagated upstream and downstream supply chains, affecting the direct and indirect suppliers and customers of disaster-stricken firms. Using a general equilibrium model of production networks, we then obtain an estimate for the overall macroeconomic impact of the disaster by taking these propagation effects into account. We find that the earthquake and its aftermaths resulted in a 0:47 percentage point decline in Japan’s real GDP growth in the year following the disaster.

JEL Codes: D57, E32, L14, Q54

Author links: Vasco Carvalho  

Publisher's Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjaa044

Cambridge Working Paper in Economics Version of Paper: Supply Chain Disruptions: Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Carvalho, V. M., Nirei, M., Saito, Y. U. and Tahbaz-Salehi, A., (2016)