Freight transportation security system : an integrative literature review connecting institutional pressure with performance

Freight transportation security concerns both public and private sector institutions, yet their interests are often misaligned, resulting in tensions and trade-offs between performance criteria. Previous research overlooks the connection of public and private interests and provides a fragmented view of the institutions that impact operational conditions and performance within freight transportation security. Thus, this paper proposes a Freight Transportation Security System (FTSS) model that integrates macro- and micro-economic perspectives and connects institutional pressure with performance. Based on an integrative literature review, the FTSS model comprises seven institutions that exert pressure on operational conditions and performance: regulations, law enforcement, Customs-to-Business partnerships, industry standards, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), security solutions, and insurances. This model extends previous research by focusing on institutions as a phenomenon instead of motivational forces, and by integrating three aspects from organisational theory. By defining the FTSS model as an organisational field, the level of analysis is changed and new aspects can be explored. Further research may test this model empirically. From a managerial perspective, this model can be used as a tool in policy design and evaluation to identify tensions and trade-offs, which may reduce silo-thinking and, ultimately, improve policy effectiveness and ensure business value.