Operational Research in Developing Countries: A Review of Latin American Countries

This paper presents a study involving 15 universities in three different countries: Chile, Colombia and Peru. The sample of universities covered the main universities in three large Latin American countries. Our findings suggest that Operational Research is mainly taught in School of Engineering which limits its impact on management and business students and practitioners. Although Operational Research is embedded in other subject areas such as agribusiness, forestry, mining and supply chain management, its application is restricted to operational issues. Moreover, the findings indicate there is a tool-orientation versus problem orientation in teaching limiting the impact of graduates as problem solvers. There seems to be a strong relationship between size of the Operational Research academic group and its level of activity. Operational Research national societies need further development to promote Operational Research beyond academic groups. In other words, the study suggests the level of activity in the areas of research, teaching and dissemination is small affecting the demand from end users.