The purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants of structural and relational efficiency in humanitarian logistics during disaster relief operations in Vietnam. This study examines how country-specific resource flows, experiential knowledge, and adaptability enhance the operational effectiveness of humanitarian logistics under uncertainty, as well as the critical role of domestic networks and international partnerships in fostering adaptability. Extending the Resource-Based View and Institutional Theory, the study conceptualizes resources as multidimensional constructs and provides practical implications for policymakers and humanitarian organizations, emphasizing the need to combine infrastructure investment with knowledge-sharing and strengthened global collaboration.
This study employs the policy-capturing method (PCM), an experimental scenario technique using factorial survey design, to examine determinants of humanitarian logistics deployment. Scenarios were constructed with four manipulated dimensions: national-specific resources, inherited experience, adaptability to uncertainty, and international/domestic linkages, and presented to respondents in Vietnam, a disaster-prone country. Participants evaluated multiple scenarios, generating 3,568 observations from 223 respondents. This approach enables analysis of judgmental behavior under realistic disaster contexts, reduces social desirability bias, and provides insights into how factors shape humanitarian logistics efficiency.
The findings show that national-specific resources, inherited experience, and adaptability to uncertainty significantly increase the likelihood of implementing humanitarian logistics, supporting Hypotheses 1–3. International/domestic linkages alone are not significant but positively moderate adaptability, confirming Hypotheses 6a and 6b while rejecting 4 and 5. Among control variables, only prior disaster relief experience has a significant effect, reinforcing the importance of individual-level contributions. Gender, age, job, and life factors show no reliable influence. Overall, national-specific resources, experiential knowledge, and adaptability, strengthened by relational linkages, are key drivers of humanitarian logistics efficiency.
This study shows that humanitarian logistics effectiveness depends on both structural and relational dimensions. Structural efficiency arises from resource flows, experiential knowledge, and adaptability, and adaptability is strengthened by relational effectiveness, including both domestic networks and international partnerships. Extending RBV and Institutional Theory, the findings highlight tangible and intangible resources, such as institutional memory and relational capital, as critical drivers of resilience. Practically, policymakers must balance infrastructure investment with knowledge-sharing and collaboration. Despite limitations in sample size, the study expands the potential for broader, more nuanced analyses in different demographic segments to refine humanitarian logistics strategies across diverse contexts.
This study offers originality by employing a novel methodological approach rarely applied in logistics research: the policy-capturing method, which enables deeper and more authentic insights into the psychological and behavioral responses of affected populations. By integrating structural and relational dimensions into a unified framework, the research demonstrates how resource flows, experiential knowledge, and adaptive capacity interact with domestic and international networks to enhance resilience. Theoretically, it extends the Resource-Based View and Institutional Theory to humanitarian logistics, reconceptualizing resources as multidimensional constructs. Empirically, it provides evidence from Vietnam's disaster relief operations, thereby advancing both scholarly knowledge and practical policy guidance.
