From “Chain” to “Network”: UK Foresight Report Redefines the Structural Shift in Global Supply Chain Risk

This foresight report, published by the UK Government Office for Science, makes its core contribution not by listing risks but by changing how supply chains are viewed: supply chains are not linear chains but multi-tier networks, with risk highly concentrated in a small number of firms, routes, and chokepoints. The report sets out five sets of key judgments—the network concentration of risk, the need for coordination on shared risks, the multi-level and trade-off nature of resilience, the shift of risk upstream to raw materials and transport infrastructure, and climate and geopolitics as mutual amplifiers. This article analyzes the implications of the report for international trade research and corporate supply chain strategy from three perspectives: global trade structure, logistics networks, and corporate footprint.