Interconnectedness and systemic risk: A comparative study based on systemically important regions

Abstract

We apply a novel technique to identify systemically important regions (SIRs) in a global network that shows a reduced degree of concentration and the development of a multi-centered structure. We observe that when a region is more connected to other regions, it is exposed to a higher level of systemic risk. This condition holds even more strongly for non-systemically important regions. However, for SIRs, interconnectedness is not significantly associated with systemic risk. Our empirical evidence suggests that an increase in interconnectedness at the regional level, together with a decrease in interconnectedness for a single pivotal center, may reduce the aggregate systemic risk at the global level.