Esala, Lauri
Contact Information
Available for interviews at
European Job Market for Economists (EEA)
Allied Social Science Associations (ASSA)
CV Job Market Paper
Research interests
Macroeconomics. Production Networks. Computational Methods.
Placement Officer
Libertad González [email protected]
References
Isaac Baley (Advisor) [email protected] |
Edouard Schaal(Advisor) [email protected] |
Mishel Ghassibe [email protected] |
Victoria Vanasco [email protected] |
Research
"Supply Chain Dynamics with Search Frictions" (Job Market Paper)
This paper develops a dynamic theory of endogenous supply chain formation that speaks to two properties of real-world production networks. First, most firms are linked to a limited number of key buyers and suppliers. Second, buyer-supplier links are time-consuming to form, and difficult to replace if lost. Consequently, the loss of individual links can act as a potent channel of shock propagation. In my setup, forward-looking firms build and adjust their supply chains in an environment where link formation is sluggish due to search frictions, and both shocks and bilateral search for better partners while matched create uncertainty about the value of each link. By leveraging continuous time, and developing a new simulation-based solution method, I sidestep firms’ problem of accounting for a complex set of interactions across the supply chain each period. In steady state, I show how firms’ forward-looking considerations about supply chain fragility and growth potential affect matching policies. I also study the consequences of large-scale supply chain severances. Firms' matching behavior speeds up the recovery from the shock, relative to a benchmark where the regeneration of supply chains is subject to a time-dependent adjustment friction. The most productive firms are able to rebuild their supply chains the fastest, sometimes at the expense of less productive firms.
Research in Progress
"Low Interest Rates, Weak Banks and Zombie Firms" (with Andrea Sy)
"Lumpy Labor Adjustment and Aggregate Dynamics"