Resilience and Vulnerability of Spatial Economic Networks

This Special Issue (SI) brings ‘under one roof’ the work of scholars dedicated to the resilience and vulnerability of systems. Three main strands knit the different contributions together, and constitute the rationale for their selection in this volume: a) resilience/vulnerability; b) dynamic (complex) networks; and c) space-economy. In particular this SI provides a synthetic perspective on the various interpretations of resilience and vulnerability in spatial economic networks, given the different objectives and landscapes, with special attention to the understanding of the effects generated by disruptions of spatial economic systems. Consequently, the selection of articles in this SI offers novel theoretical and empirical insights into the complex dynamics of economic and spatial networks, using new, systematic data sources and employing cutting-edge network analysis and spatial econometric techniques. Within this framework, the chosen contributions analyse transport networks and economic networks – at various spatial scales – with the view to identifying the critical factors that lead to resilient and vulnerable outcomes.