Literature review of humanitarian logistics research: trends and challenges

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review of humanitarian logistics (HL) that aims to identify trends and suggest some directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – This conceptual paper develops a research framework for literature review through qualitative and quantitative content analysis. First, previous literature reviews in HL are updated and detailed. Then, seven classification criteria are added to earlier ones in order to advance the literature analysis. Findings – The conclusions identify some literature gaps and research opportunities. The main conclusions are the need for more studies into the disaster recovery phase and the need for closer relationships between academia and humanitarian organizations to increase the number of applied research. Research limitations/implications – The literature is limited to academic peer-reviewed journals because of their academic relevance, accessibility, and ease of searching. Practical implications – Help potential researchers to set up a research agenda for future work. Social implications – Reinforce earlier calls to increase truly applied research and improve social impact of the field. Originality/value – In total, 228 papers that were published in the HL area are reviewed, giving rise to the most extensive literature review in this area. New dimensions for literature review in HL are proposed, which give some new insights into potential research directions.

Stochastic network models for logistics planning in disaster relief

“…This paper will not review all decision models for disaster management and emergencies, but rather will focus on the quantitative management of uncertainty in emergency logistics planning in disaster relief, considering only recent research on scenario-based stochastic programming approaches in transportation and distribution relief within network flows. The reader who is interested in wider surveys of the application of quantitative models and operational research to humanitarian logistics can consult Altay and Green Galindo and Batta (2013); Leiras et al (2014) and Özdamar and Ertem (2015) amongst others. Two-stage stochastic programming with recourse models have been successfully used in humanitarian logistics and disaster management as they allow the modeller to represent pre-and post-event phases together via first-and second-stage decision variables.…”

An assessment approach for non-governmental organizations in humanitarian relief logistics and an application in Turkey

“…Hence, NGOs must improve their information system. Leiras et al (2014) present a literature review for humanitarian logistics that aims to identify trends and challenges. They conclude that technologies and management models used in logistics business can also be seized for performance improvements in humanitarian operations.…”

A review of required features for a disaster response system on top of a multi-criteria decision: a Brazilian perspective

“…According to Fontainha et al (2017), the stakeholders can be classified as international and local aid networks, donors, media, direct suppliers, the private sector, government, legislative and regulatory stakeholders, the military, and the beneficiary. Despite the increase in stakeholders' engagement in disaster operations, maintaining an adequate relationship among stakeholders through the different disaster stages remains a challenge due to the large number and diversity of actors with distinct organizational cultures and structures (Leiras et al, 2014). Islam & Chik (2011) highlight that the role of electronic and communication engineering provides the most effective performance in overcoming the hazards of a disaster.…”