Research

Salt lakes in Atacama (Photo taken during fieldwork)

Research Interests

My research examines how extractive industries operate in a GVC-dominated world — for instance, how they connect to value chains such as EVs and clean energy. I look at how firms and governments respond to digitalization, decarbonization, and geopolitics, and what strategies and policies result in stronger innovative and industrial capabilities.

My work extends to the political economy of critical raw materials and other upstream sectors amid sustainability transitions, as well as the spatial dynamics of these economic activities, with broader interests in development economics, firm dynamics, and innovation systems.

Current Projects

DETOCS - Data to Enable Transformation and Optimisation for Concrete Sustainability (2023-2027) — This project (DC12) focuses on key challenges and aspects linked to the decarbonization in cement production and concrete value chains across Europe and emerging markets.

Lithium Triangle Research — Funded by the Erasmus Initiative for Inclusive Prosperity, this project looks into the investment and industrial policy across lithium-producing countries in South America. Current work includes papers on the political economy of lithium governance, currently under review.

Publications

Calzada Olvera, B., & Sartorello Spinola, D. (2025). Determinants of export diversification in resource-dependent economies: The role of product relatedness and macroeconomic conditions. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2025.05.019

Calzada Olvera, B. (2024). Is the Dutch disease well and alive? A cross-country assessment of mining spillovers on employment in the 2002–2014 period. Resources Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.105136

Yesmin, N., & Calzada Olvera, B. (2024). Street vendor sales in Dhaka: Infrastructure and socioeconomic factors. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-02-2024-0012

Pietrobelli, C., Calzada Olvera, B., et al. (2023). Suppliers’ entry, upgrading, and innovation in mining GVCs: lessons from Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. Industrial and Corporate Change. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtad079

Calzada Olvera, B., & Iizuka, M. (2023). The mining sector: Profit-seeking strategies, innovation patterns, and commodity prices. Industrial and Corporate Change. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/dtad020

Calzada Olvera, B., et al. (2022).COVID-19 in Central America: Firm resilience and policy responses on employment. Journal of Policy Modeling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2022.11.005

Fransen, J., Ochoa Peralta, D., Vanelli, F., Edelenbos, J., & Calzada Olvera, B. (2022). The emergence of urban community resilience initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Development Research. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00348-y

Calzada Olvera, B. (2022). Innovation in mining: What are the challenges and opportunities along the value chain for Latin American suppliers? Mineral Economics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13563-022-00324-6

For a full list of publications and working papers, see my [CV].

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