Economic Impact of Smart Ports on the Portuguese Economy: An Input-Output Analysis

Economic Impact of Smart Ports on the Portuguese Economy: An Input-Output Analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Economic Impact of Smart Ports on the Portuguese Economy: An Input-Output Analysis Kouassi Isaac Hayaka, Margarita Robaina, Rui Borges Lopes, Leonor Teixeira This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8777217/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Port digitalization represents one of the most significant transformations in global maritime logistics. In Portugal, a country with a strong maritime tradition and an economy open to international trade, technological modernization of ports generates significant direct and indirect effects across multiple sectors of the national economy. Using an input–output analytical framework, based on the 2017 input-output matrix of the Portuguese economy, covering 82 sectors, this study assesses how the digital transformation of Portuguese ports influences intersectoral linkages and stimulates value generation across the economy. The results demonstrate that smart port initiatives produce positive ripple effects beyond the port boundaries, benefiting sectors directly associated with technology and digital services, as well as those indirectly connected, such as logistics, energy, and manufacturing. These spillover effects reflect the capacity of digitalization to foster collaboration, innovation, and integration across complex industrial networks. The results provide evidence-based insights for policymakers seeking to align port digitalization with the EU’s Green and Digital Transition goals and national maritime strategies. Moreover, these findings highlight the importance of investing in port digitalization, demonstrating that technological modernization not only enhances efficiency and competitiveness in the port system but also generates positive effects across multiple economic sectors, fostering innovation and creating opportunities for sustainable growth. Smart Port Economic Impact Input-Output Analysis Digitalization Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 18 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 04 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 04 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 03 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8777217","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":593848192,"identity":"cf04b95f-ab51-4044-a4b6-48ac68b3f14b","order_by":0,"name":"Kouassi Isaac Hayaka","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA0ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACNhDB2AAkeBgYH5CshdmAAUwTA6Ba2CSI0sLHf/jhh5877BL7ew4/q+apYcizJ+gwiTRjyd4zyYkzzraZ3eY5xlBM0BagYwykGduYExvOMwC1sDEk9hDUwn/882/GtvrE+efZvxXz/CNGC0OOGdCWw4kbzvaYMfO2EaNFIqfMsrftuPHGM2eKJef2SRTzHCCgRb7/+OYbP9uqZeedSd/44c03mzz2BkLWQIEjVKFEApEaGBjgsUG8llEwCkbBKBgxAAB81j2nVcN2aQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Aveiro","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kouassi","middleName":"Isaac","lastName":"Hayaka","suffix":""},{"id":593848193,"identity":"ea3f4046-fed4-4410-8e86-bfe06ec9f5fc","order_by":1,"name":"Margarita Robaina","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Aveiro","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Margarita","middleName":"","lastName":"Robaina","suffix":""},{"id":593848194,"identity":"cc296816-a69f-4e88-be5c-856c91294f35","order_by":2,"name":"Rui Borges Lopes","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Aveiro","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rui","middleName":"Borges","lastName":"Lopes","suffix":""},{"id":593848196,"identity":"3e7ab4c9-ff7f-4b74-ac3f-101c51854946","order_by":3,"name":"Leonor Teixeira","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Aveiro","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Leonor","middleName":"","lastName":"Teixeira","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-03 14:39:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8777217/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8777217/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103050304,"identity":"851cc702-c2eb-41ec-b08c-ffb35bcb6fc2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-20 07:49:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":456544,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptMEL.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8777217/v1_covered_589974df-c2b0-43c8-95dc-4ba6a111d354.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Economic Impact of Smart Ports on the Portuguese Economy: An Input-Output Analysis","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"maritime-economics-and-logistics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Maritime Economics \u0026 Logistics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"VoR Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Smart Port, Economic Impact, Input-Output Analysis, Digitalization","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8777217/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8777217/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePort digitalization represents one of the most significant transformations in global maritime logistics. 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