Firms’ performance in challenging times: Input costs, Technology, Productivity and Market Power.
- competitiveness
- Thursday 19 October 2023, 09:30 - Friday 20 October 2023, 17:00 (CEST)
- Brussels, Belgium
Speakers
Practical information
- When
- Thursday 19 October 2023, 09:30 - Friday 20 October 2023, 17:00 (CEST)
- Where
- Charlemagne Conference CenterRue de la Loi 170, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Languages
- English
- Organisers
- CompNet | Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs | Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs | Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support
Description
Call for papers
In recent decades, firms have seen fundamental changes to their economic environment. The rise in concentration and increase in productivity dispersion are notable trends. More recently, firms had to adjust their production processes to respond to the climate challenge, to adapt to post-pandemic transformations in the organisation of work, and to deal with severe supply-chain shocks. Rising energy prices, interest rates and wages are currently squeezing margins, notably for energy-intensive industries open to foreign competition. Risk reducing strategies to minimize supply chain disruptions, often by nearshoring or by diversifying, may pose trade-offs between efficiency and resilience. Targeted substantial subsidies by third countries, such as the US’ Inflation Reduction Act, could generate an uneven level playing field with the risk of reallocation of EU businesses. The extent to which EU firms can prosper in this new economic environment depends on their ability to command prices, source cheap inputs, apply modern technologies, and generate productivity advantages against their competitors. Deep knowledge about these facts and interactions have tremendous relevance for policies, including financial and competition regulations.
Against this backdrop, we seek original (unpublished) research papers that address some of the mentioned aspects and their respective policy implications. Particularly, we are interested in work on:
- Energy costs and firm performance: the impact of the crisis
- Business dynamism and firm reallocation processes: new patterns
- Firm responses to supply chain disruptions
- The effects of the green and digital transition on firm performance
- Firms’ market power: new trends and patterns
Relevant dates
The deadline for submissions is 7 July 2023. Authors will be notified by 15 July 2023.
Program committee
Filippo di Mauro, Matthias Mertens, Javier Miranda (both IWH and CompNet), Alessandro Turrini (European Commision, DG Economic and Financial Affairs, Román Arjona Gracia (European Commision, DG GROW) and Kaspar Richter (European Commision, DG REFORM).