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Community-Based Operations Research: Introduction, Theory, and Applications

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Community-Based Operations Research

Part of the book series: International Series in Operations Research & Management Science ((ISOR,volume 167))

Abstract

Community-based operations research (CBOR) is the name of a new sub-discipline within operations research and the management sciences. CBOR synthesizes previous practice and research traditions within OR/MS to address problems within the public sector that are often of a localized nature, that address the concerns of citizens affiliated through characteristics of race, ethnicity and class and other ties, and that are solved using diverse qualitative and quantitative methods. Solutions to these problems are developed and implemented by formal and informal organizations, and embody a critical perspective toward traditional notions of decision makers, stakeholders, and analytic methods. The most proximate antecedents of CBOR are the well-studied fields of community operational research, problem structuring methods, and soft systems methodologies. This chapter provides a framework for understanding CBOR through key themes such as the importance of place and space, community, disadvantaged populations, and multiple methods. It introduces a theory of CBOR, surveys recent literature within CBOR, and assesses the presence of CBOR in OR/MS literature, education, and practice. After a summary of this book’s 12 chapters, 11 of which are newly published, the introduction concludes by summarizing the important contributions of CBOR and identifies some promising avenues for future research.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The field of social network analysis is based on relationships between individuals and groups that share common beliefs, characteristics, or goals (Wasserman & Faust, 1994). The importance of social virtues and duties and participative decision making distinguishes the “communitarian” view of communities from the “liberal” view (Midgley & Ochoa-Arias, 2004b).

  2. 2.

    Operations Research, Management Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Decision Analysis, European Journal of Operational Research, Mathematics of Operations Research, Mathematical Programming, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Annals of Operations Research.

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Acknowledgments

This chapter was greatly improved by the comments and suggestions of Gerald Midgley, John Mingers, and Paula Ryan. Editorial and research assistants Rachel Drew and Joshua Rinaldi collected and reviewed the literature and generated statistics and references that made this chapter possible. Editorial assistant Alma Hallulli reformatted the chapter. My 2007 collaboration with Karen Smilowitz was the source of the original definition of CBOR and is a primary source of inspiration for this chapter.

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  1. Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Michael P. Johnson

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  1. Dept. Public Policy & Public Affairs, University of Massachusetts, Boston, McCormack Hall, Boston, 02125-3393, Massachusetts, USA

    Michael P. Johnson

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Johnson, M.P. (2012). Community-Based Operations Research: Introduction, Theory, and Applications. In: Johnson, M. (eds) Community-Based Operations Research. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 167. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0806-2_1

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