Drivers of Coordination in Humanitarian Relief Supply Chains

Abstract

Coordination in humanitarian relief supply chains has been identified as a key issue in the success of humanitarian response to disasters. However, the mechanisms that make coordination happen are not well understood. In this chapter, we attempt to develop a conceptual model for coordination in humanitarian relief supply chains. Our model sheds light onto the relationships between the drivers of coordination. Additionally, we introduce a methodology little known to humanitarian researchers. Total interpretive structural modeling is a hybrid approach that converts qualitative inputs into quantitative data in order to identify the directional links and relationships between constructs. The findings of our study on coordination will advance the humanitarian relief chain literature and offer insights to practitioners and policy makers..