Equity in Health and Humanitarian Logistics: A People-Centered Perspective

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Breugem, Thomas; Fan, Yu; Gernert, Andreas K.; Van Wassenhove, Luk N.
• 署名单位: Tilburg University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Science & Technology of China, CAS; Kuhne Logistics University; INSEAD Business School
• 刊物名称: PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1059-1478
• DOI: 10.1177/10591478241248751
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 636-642
• 关键词: diversity; equity; inclusion; health and humanitarian logistics; people-centered; Distributional preferences

摘要

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of present-day health and humanitarian logistics. Aid organizations advocate inclusive people-centered approaches to ensure that affected communities receive appropriate aid in an effective and equitable way. Tensions and even conflicts can arise if affected communities perceive the distribution of aid as inequitable. These perceptions are driven by people's so-called distributional preferences. These preferences are shaped by culture, social bonds, and experiences, and they describe how an individual's well-being and behavior are impacted by potential inequalities. Their importance is increasingly recognized by aid organizations, but research on equity in health and humanitarian logistics remains focused on equal access and prioritizing needs. Using current examples from the Syrian and Rohingya refugee crises, we show the importance of recognizing and managing distributional preferences. Based on these examples and in line with diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, we discuss several ways that we, as the operations community, can help conceptualize inclusive and people-centered approaches that account for distributional preferences.