Renuka Mahadevan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Tourism Innovation by Renuka Mahadevan

This report explores the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) held in Nuuk in May 2016. It does so from a re... more This report explores the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) held in Nuuk in May 2016. It does so from a research perspective with a two-fold focus: 1) on valuation, i.e. on how various stakeholder groups value and identify different benefits from the AWG 2016 event and 2) outcomes outside of the event proper, or what we term ‘overflows’. We assess valuation and outcomes in conversation with the three strategic focus areas of the AWG to strengthen social cohesion, branding and upskilling. The report further explores - on a more experimental basis - how digital platforms might provide opportunities for social innovation in regards to these three areas.
A first quantitative analysis uses five surveys to show how participants, sponsors, volunteers, visitors and non-visitors perceive the benefits for themselves and the Greenlandic community on a range of parameters. The analysis displays a high degree of perceived benefits by different stakeholders, surprisingly high with the non-visitor group, showing that a larger Greenlandic community valued AWG beyond the confines of active contributors and Nuuk citizens. However, it also shows how sponsors were the stakeholder group which identifies the least benefit from the event. The chapter concludes with pointing to what can be done to secure more benefits with sponsor outcomes in ongoing work and in future events.
The second part of the report consists of three experimental cases which offer examples of how social media platforms were used as opportunities for community participation, co-creation and engagement. The cases point to how event initiatives have ‘spilled over’ into society and have fostered alternative values, often overlooked in evaluation with a purely economic and short-term focus.
In conclusion, we discuss how the presented values and outcomes feed into the three focus areas of the AWG 2016 strategy. We provide suggestions as to how ongoing work might help secure and maximize current outcomes within these three areas in particular. Also, the report discusses how future events can build on the gained experiences and skills of AWG 2016.

Papers by Renuka Mahadevan

Using a panel of 13 tourism-intensive economies for the period 1995-2012, this paper shows that r... more Using a panel of 13 tourism-intensive economies for the period 1995-2012, this paper shows that rising growth in tourism which is proxied by tourism receipts to GDP ratio has an impact on poverty conditional on the poverty measure used. Using a panel Vector Autoregression method, there is little evidence to suggest that growth in tourism reduces headcount poverty. However, the poverty gap measure shows that the amount of money needed to help the poor out of poverty is significantly reduced. Based on different types of Gini coefficient, the results fail to find an improvement in income inequality resulting from tourism growth. Alternative measures such as relative poverty and poverty gap may be considered to better assess the impact of tourism on the poor

Journal of Social Policy

Using three waves of data and tracing the same refugees over time, this paper shows that some fac... more Using three waves of data and tracing the same refugees over time, this paper shows that some factors associated with settlement experience are different from life satisfaction. Evidence shows that although settlement experience has not improved over time, life satisfaction of both male and female refugees has. The non-linear effect of age on life satisfaction disappears over time while that of settlement experience lingers on. Discrimination affects both male and female life satisfaction but is only a concern for females and the younger cohort’s settlement experience. Psychological capital did not appear to moderate the discrimination effect, but this needs to be robustly examined further. Lastly, different support for refugees over time and a targeted focus on some groups is likely to be more effective than a blanket support policy.

This paper has been commissioned by the European Commission's EASME to examine the challenges and... more This paper has been commissioned by the European Commission's EASME to examine the challenges and opportunities of digitalisation in tourism. The views and propositions expressed herein are those of Aalborg University and do not necessarily represent any official view of the European Commission or any other organisation mentioned in this paper.

Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies

Child Indicators Research, 2021

Social Indicators Research, 2015

This paper addresses the gap in economic theory underlying the multidimensional concept of food s... more This paper addresses the gap in economic theory underlying the multidimensional concept of food security and observed data by deriving a composite food security index using the latent class model. The link between poverty and food security is then examined using the new food security index and the robustness of the link is compared with two unidimensional measures often used in the literature. Using Vietnam as a case study, it was found that a weak link exists for the rural but not for the urban composite food security index. The unidimensional measures on the other hand show a strong link in both the rural and urban regions. The results on the link are also different and mixed when two poverty types given by persistent and transient poverty are considered. These findings have important policy implications for a targeted approach to addressing food security.

Managing Macroeconomic Policies for Sustainable Growth

doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.01030.x

This paper studies the process of Malaysian industrialisation by examining the productivity perfo... more This paper studies the process of Malaysian industrialisation by examining the productivity performance of 28 manufacturing industries from 1981-96. Unlike previous studies, here, an improved version of the stochastic frontier model is used to determine if manufacturing output growth was a result of perspiration (factor accumulation) and/or inspiration (total factor productivity growth). In addition, productivity growth is decomposed to obtain measures of technological progress and technical efficiency, thereby paving the path for more accurate policy implications for sustainable growth in the Malaysian manufacturing sector.

Although there has been a revival of interest in the trade-growth nexus, the impact of trade libe... more Although there has been a revival of interest in the trade-growth nexus, the impact of trade liberalization on productivity gains remains empirical~ given the ambiguity in the literature on this issue. This paper examines the case for Australia using annual data of eight two-digit manufacturing industries from 1968-69 to 199~-95. Unlike earlier studies~ total factor productivity growth is first decomposed into technological progress and gains in technical efficiency, and the effect of trade liberalization is then investigated separately on TFP growth, as well as on each of the components of TFP growth. The empirical .finding that trade liberalization has a positive and significant effect on technological progress, but no significant effect on gains in technical e~ciency~ adds yet another dimension to the evaluation of trade liberalization policies. (JEL F1, L6, 03) I n t r o d u c t i o n The conventional wisdom that trade liberalization leads to productivity gains has found support...

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 2020

Purpose Blockchain is a disruptive technology enabling distributed, encrypted, smart and secure p... more Purpose Blockchain is a disruptive technology enabling distributed, encrypted, smart and secure peer-to-peer transactions. The fragmented nature of the tourism industry with a high number of contracts and transactions between several parties has security issues, disputes and delay. Although these motivate the use of blockchain, scholars have barely begun to systematically assess the value proposition of blockchain in the hospitality and tourism industry. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts, opportunities and challenges of blockchain in the tourism and hospitality sector. The authors present early use cases of blockchain in the tourism industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a multiple case-study approach and grounded this study based on the technology acceptance management literature with context-specific variables that are pivotal to the study of this topic. Findings This paper outlines the useful features of blockchain in the tourism industry in...

Journal of Refugee Studies, 2021

This article examines the correlation of post-migration factors and in particular parental mental... more This article examines the correlation of post-migration factors and in particular parental mental health with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and happiness levels of adolescent refugee migrants in Australia, with a special emphasis on associated age and gender differences. Data were sourced from the child module in the 2015–2016 Building a New Life in Australia data set. Results indicate that factors associated with happiness are quite different from those associated with PTSD and this varies across gender and the age groups of 11–14 and 15–17. For example, discrimination related to religion/culture and language have different correlation with boys’ and girls’ well-being measures. While father’s education and mental state have no significant association with any well-being measure, mothers’ education plays some role. Of concern is the intergenerational correlation of mother’s PTSD with their daughters. The results in this study caution against a one-size-fits-all approach to i...

Economic Modelling, 2018

This paper examines the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy-wide impacts of a carbon tax, fuel... more This paper examines the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy-wide impacts of a carbon tax, fuel tax, and some policy mix options for Sri Lanka and Pakistan using their global commitments to reduce carbon emissions. The results indicate that the carbon tax is best for Sri Lanka to reduce emissions by 7% from 2010 levels. This policy shows the least welfare deteriorating effect with increases in real GDP by 0.2%. Although Pakistan has a distorted market of energy subsidies and taxes, the carbon tax is appropriate for emissions reductions of 5% from 2011 levels with no adverse impact on GDP. Thus, both economies can achieve their emission targets cost-effectively and any welfare loss can be compensated from the carbon tax revenues. However, a carbon tax is not a one size fits all climate change policy instrument given the associated cost effectiveness-efficiency trade off, and the countries' dependence on domestic and imported energy resources.

Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 2018

This paper uses a segmented analysis based on age, gender, repeat and first time peer-to-peer acc... more This paper uses a segmented analysis based on age, gender, repeat and first time peer-to-peer accommodation users to examine their motives and concerns influencing their satisfaction. This not only provides an important marketing tool for online accommodation platforms but also informs the traditional accommodation sector on areas for focus to gain back market share. Results show that lack of trust is a significant barrier and more so for the Baby boomers relative to Generation X while the latter age cohort value economic benefits similar to first time users. The sharing economy philosophy on the other hand is important to Generation Y, repeat users, and females. By and large, for the full sample, home benefits, local experience, and social experience also influence satisfaction while locational benefits have no impact. Future research could consider different ethnic groups or international tourists' preferences as opposed to the sample of domestic travelers in this study.

Arctic Anthropology, 2018

on the AWG International Committee website, which states: "Arctic Winter Games brings our Circump... more on the AWG International Committee website, which states: "Arctic Winter Games brings our Circumpolar World closer together [by] promoting northern unity and cultural understanding, [and] [s]trengthening and showcasing our Communities" (AWG-IC 2016a). Similarly, in the 2016 Games Guide, AWG-IC President Jens Brinch talks about "cooperation within our circumpolar family" (AWG-IC 2016b:4). As such, the AWG can seemingly be compared to major international sporting events such as the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games which, through friendly international competition, seek to build an overarching common identity "beyond" national ones (see, e.g., Since their inauguration in Canada in 1970, the Arctic Winter Games (AWG) has been a cultureand value-sustaining event, the primary purpose of which is to strengthen cultural awareness and intercultural exchange, panarctic identity building, and community pride through sports characteristic to the region and its populations (AWG-IC 2016a). A reading of purpose statements, strategies, and visions of the AWG International Committee (AWG-IC) informs us that what these games are essentially designed to contribute is panarctic community building, cultural exchange among youth, and mutual understanding. The values of the AWG constitution are reflected

Tourism Economics, 2016

This article shows how the social worth of a regional festival can be measured for tourism purpos... more This article shows how the social worth of a regional festival can be measured for tourism purposes by including the valuation of the festival’s non-attendees, an aspect often ignored in the literature. The finding that the festival’s social worth was 1.46 times that of the economic impact provides practitioners with an important tool for consideration. In addition, evidence on the differences between visitors and potential future visitors sheds new light on regional festival marketing. The sense of well-being associated with attending the festival, the acknowledgement of the festival’s importance to the local community, and how it nurtures and supports new talent were also found to influence people’s valuation. These findings highlight the need for a policy rethink towards increased government funding to sustain regional festivals.