Building Resilient Logistics Networks Through Autonomous Organizations

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing complexity of global supply chains has revealed the limitations of centralized governance and fragmented logistics infrastructures. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, and climate-related events have highlighted systemic fragility, including trust deficits, coordination inefficiencies, and the lack of resilient structures. In response, scholars and practitioners have turned to emerging paradigms that promise greater adaptability and efficiency. Two such paradigms are Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), which introduce novel governance mechanisms through blockchain and smart contracts, and the Physical Internet (PI), which proposes an interoperable and standardized model for logistics modeled after the digital Internet.

While these constructs have typically been examined in isolation, this Special Issue situates their intersection within the framework of small-world networks. The small-world phenomenon captures how systems can simultaneously sustain high local clustering (strong intra-group cohesion) and short global path lengths (efficient system-wide connectivity). This perspective is especially pertinent to supply chains, which must balance the efficiencies of local specialization with the demands of global integration.

The convergence of DAOs, the PI, and small-world network theory offers a novel theoretical framework for reimagining supply chain governance and infrastructure. DAOs provide decentralized, transparent, and automated governance; the PI delivers modular, interoperable physical networks; and the small-world paradigm ensures that these systems can balance local specialization with global efficiency. Together, these constructs directly address enduring supply chain challenges of trust, coordination, and resilience.

Future research should advance in three directions: (1) empirical evaluation of DAO-governed logistics consortia, (2) development of interoperable smart contract standards for PI applications, and (3) computational modeling of small-world topologies for supply chain networks. By aligning supply chain design with the principles of DAOs, the PI, and small-world networks, global logistics can achieve greater transparency, adaptability, and sustainability in the face of systemic uncertainty.

Prof. Dr. Roman Gumzej
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.