System Dynamics Base-Model of Humanitarian Supply Chain (HSCM) in Disaster Prone Eco-Communities of India

Abstract

Humanitarian Supply Chain is central to the capacity building in the eco-communities which are located in the disaster prone regions. In this study, an attempt has been made to develop a system dynamics model of humanitarian supply chain in order to capture causal dynamics and inter linkages within the system under investigation and suggest some critical intervention strategies for enhancing overall performance. An economic sub-sector base model for the Indian tribal communities has been calibrated and used for simulation analysis as a reference case-study. Conclusion & Results: It has been established through the simulation results that the success of short-term relief work lies in the long-term capacity building and, is critical to the performance of both current and future humanitarian operations and programs. The scenarios studied in this paper are with respect to those crucial decision environments and their underlying complexities which create an inherent endogenous dynamics perpetuated by various stakeholders giving functional response towards the humanitarian supply chain.