Resumo

Disasters displace people, disrupt lives and cause human and economic losses (DUBEY et al., 2019). In 2019, natural disasters affected more than 95 million people affected worldwide, causing losses of 130 billion dollars. Behl and Dutta (2018) emphasize the importance of researches in the domain of HL since natural disasters (droughts, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes), and human-made disasters (conflicts between and within nations, refugee crises, wars, fires) have a significant impact on the society globally.

The literature related to models, tools and techniques in the field of humanitarian operations is comprehensive, and the studies include different research methods, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). This paper aims to analyze the use of Structural Equation Modeling in studies related to humanitarian logistics to identify the main topics addressed, with their respective objectives and results. The justification for the development of the paper is given by the importance of studies that systematically investigate the advances in studies in humanitarian logistics, enabling new analyzes.

Humanitarian logistics is related to the processes and systems involved in the mobilization of resources, skills and knowledge to help people affected by disasters (VAN WASSENHOVE, 2006). The humanitarian operations deal with a series of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, epidemics, droughts, floods, as well as anthropogenic disasters, such as terrorist acts, chemical attacks, refugee crises and nuclear accidents. Besides, humanitarian operations are related to development programs aimed at improving existing problems.

Based on the SLR procedures, we analyze 14 documents obtained in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, according to descriptive aspects regarding the year, journals, papers more cited, and content analysis. The results presented in this paper contribute to the theoretical foundation of the main topics of LH analyzed with the application of SEM: coordination, performance management, communication, social inequality, readiness, and integration. Among the papers analysed, most are related to the difficulty of coordination during disaster response actions.

Although the SEM technique has several benefits for decision making, the results reveal that the topic is still little addressed in the academic literature of the humanitarian context. The results also show that the application of SEM covers six main research topics: coordination, performance management, communication, social inequality, readiness, and integration. The coordination topic is the most addressed by the studies due to the difficulties that humanitarian operations impose, mainly due to the number of actors involved in response actions.

BEHL, A.; DUTTA, P. Social and financial aid for disaster relief operations using CSR and crowdfunding. Benchmarking: An International Journal, v. 27, n. 2, p. 732-759, 2019 DUBEY, R.; ALTAY, N.; BLOME, C. Swift trust and commitment: The missing links for humanitarian supply chain coordination? Annals of Operations Research, v. 283, n. 1, p. 159-177, 2019 VAN WASSENHOVE, L. N. Humanitarian aid logistics: supply chain management in high gear. Journal of the Operational Research Society, v. 57, n. 5, p. 475-489, 2006