Browsing by Author "Kumar, Deepak"

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    How does culture influence a country's travel and tourism competitiveness? A longitudinal frontier study on 39 countries
    Kumar, Sushant; Kumar, Deepak; Nicolau, Juan Luis (Elsevier, 2024-02)
    The greater competitiveness of a firm improves the chances of its success. Likewise, countries are constantly attempting to improve their travel and tourism competitiveness to attract global tourists. In this study, we present a theoretical framework linking the culture of a country and its travel and tourism competitiveness. We adopted the theoretical foundation of global leadership and organizational behavior effectiveness (GLOBE) cultural values and practices to examine the panel effects of culture on competitiveness. We conducted a longitudinal study by using secondary data of 39 countries from 2011 to 2021. Results show that the culture of a country influence its travel and tourism competitiveness. Furthermore, we provide empirical evidence by performing longitudinal frontier analysis to determine which GLOBE model, that is, cultural practices or cultural values, is appropriate for future studies. Findings of this longitudinal study contribute to the novel understanding of competitiveness and culture.
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    The Cost of Inaction: Impacts of WFP Assistance Shortfalls on Food Security Outcomes in Somalia
    Kagin, Justin; Kumar, Deepak; Gupta, Anubhab; Taylor, J. Edward; Amondi, Edith; Clough, Alice; Gualtieri, Alberto; Krishnaswamy, Siddarth; Leaduma, Amos; Monetta, Cinzia; Nanayakkara, Laksiri; Mesa, Joshua (WFP/Geneva Costopulos, 2024)
    Millions of Somalis face hunger and malnutrition due to ongoing conflict and climate disruptions. Somalia’s food systems are strained by a combination of weather shocks, civil conflicts, environmental distress, increasing food costs, and limited infrastructure and investments (WFP Somalia Country Brief 2023). The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has been working extensively in Somalia, expanding its humanitarian activities in recent years in response to the severe drought of 2020-2023. In January 2023 alone, it distributed USD 45 million in cash and 7.1 MT in in-kind food assistance to 4.1 million people in the country, including vulnerable internally displaced persons (IDPs) and resident (non-IDPs) households. The soaring demand for humanitarian assistance is straining an already underfunded WFP. WFP estimated a funding gap of USD 378 million from November 2023 to April 2024, only providing food assistance to less than half of those people most in need (WFP Emergency-Somalia website).
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    The Cost of Inaction: Impacts of WFP Refugee Assistance Shortfalls on Food Security Outcomes in Uganda
    Kagin, Justin; Qi, Tao; Kumar, Deepak; Gupta, Anubhab; Taylor, J. Edward; Amondi, Edith; Clough, Alice; Gualtieri, Alberto; Krishnaswamy, Siddarth; Leaduma, Amos; Monetta, Cinzia; Alvarado, Wendy; Kyanjo, Joseph; Likicho, Lilian (WFP/Badre Bahaji, 2024)
    Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, which quadrupled from 390,000 to 1.6 million from 2014 to 2024. Most of these refugees are women, children, and older persons fleeing conflict in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Somalia, or Sudan. In 2023, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provided food assistance to 1.4 million of these refugees. It gave a 60% food ration to those deemed to be highly vulnerable and a 30% ration to the moderately vulnerable, while moving the least vulnerable refugees off monthly food assistance and connecting them to long-term livelihood opportunities. All new arrivals received a 100% food ration for the first three months. Most WFP food assistance—61% in 2023—was in the form of Cash-Based Transfers (CBT). A soaring demand for humanitarian assistance is straining an already underfunded WFP, which faced a funding gap of $110 million to sustain emergency operations through 2023 (WFP 2023, WFP 2024).