International Journal of Production Research

Ripple Effect Research in Supply Chains

The ripple effect describes disruption propagation and cascading phenomena in supply chains triggered by systemic risks and severe shocks (e.g., supplier failures), and adversely affecting operations continuity and resilience. Research on the ripple effect has been growing over the past decade after a seminal IJPR publication (Ivanov et al. 2014) and became a central topic in supply chain resilience and viability both in academia and in industry.

This Special Issue is setup to celebrate 15 years of the ripple effect research and publications in IJPR and calls for new contributions considering the ripple effect in supply chains. We especially encourage submissions considering new trends and topics of the ripple effect in the context of:

• Intertwined supply networks and cross-industry ripple effects
• Supply chain viability and Viable Supply Chain models
• Reconfigurable supply chains
• Closed-loop and circular supply chains
• Global disruptions and geopolitical tensions
• New path-breaking AI technologies for uncovering and managing the ripple effect

Furthermore, we are particularly interested in submissions that apply innovative methodologies on the interface of network science, agent-based simulation, AI, and digital twins for a wide range of areas related to the ripple effect, e.g.:

• Network discovery and reconstruction with identification of the ripple effect paths
• Data-driven detection of hidden critical suppliers, links, and ripple effect trajectories
• Data-driven network and scenario generation for ripple effect stress testing
• Preparedness and recovery policies for the ripple effect mitigation
• Integrated optimization approaches to mitigate ripple effects
• Warning and mitigation of ripple effects with large language models (LLMs)

Finally, traditional quantitative methodologies (e.g., optimization, Bayesian networks, discrete-event simulation, and system dynamics) are also welcome when used for original ideas in the ripple effect analysis. Qualitative, empirical research is out of the scope of this Special Issue unless a very innovative contribution is shown that is relevant to production research and establishes a clear link to modeling studies in this area. All papers should align with the journal policy of the International Journal of Production Research.

References:
Ivanov, D., Sokolov, B., Dolgui, A. (2014) The Ripple effect in supply chains: trade-off ‘efficiency-flexibility-resilience’ in disruption management, International Journal of Production Research, 52:7, 2154-2172.

Ivanov, D., Dolgui, A. (2026). Ripple effect research in supply chains: past, present, and future. International Journal of Production Research, https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2026.2746384