Robin Nunkoo

Biography

I hold a PhD from the University of Waterloo, Canada.  I was the recipient of the University of Waterloo International Doctoral Scholarship and the Graduate Scholarship (Total value: CAN $ 110,000.00).  I also hold hold a Master of Philosophy (2010, University of Mauritius), supervised by Dr. Dogan Gursoy, Distinguished Professor at Washington State University, USA; a Master's degree in Tourism Management (2005); a Master's degree in Development Administration (2003), both from the University of Westminster, UK; and a  Bachelor's degree in Economics (2001) from the University of Mumbai, India.  

I am an economist by academic training, specializing in political economy. My current research draws widely from political science and investigates the interplay among citizens' trust (distrust) in government (and institutions), power issues in development, and political support for development and government policies. I also research on corruption in government, voting behaviors of citizens, and political party affiliations in democratic economies. I am also interested in citizens' political support for tourism policies and planning implemented by the government.

I have been honored with the Emerging Scholar of Distinction Award 2014 by International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST) for exceptional contributions to tourism research.  The award will be conferred on me in May 2015, Rhodes, Greece.  

I am the Associate Editor for the Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, a Resource Editor for Annals of Tourism Research, and the Regional Editor (Africa) for the Journal of China Tourism Research.  I am also an editorial board member of several leading academic journals.

Education

BA (Econ), University of Mumbai, India, 2001
MA (Development Admin.),University of Westminster, UK, 2003
MA (Tourism Management), University of Westminster, UK, 2005
PhD, University of Waterloo, Canada, 2013
MPhil (Tourism), University of Mauritius, Mauritius, 2010

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Good Governance and Sustainable Tourism: Sustainable Development; Political Economy; Small islands tourism economics; Political support for tourism development; Residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts; Community-based tourism planning and development; Politics of tourism.

Research Methodology: Role of theory in social science research; Types of theories; Development of conceptual/structural models; Structural equation modeling; Multiple regression analysis; Grounded theory; Meta analyzes.

Travel behavior: Information search behavior of travelers; Travelers’ e-purchase behavior; Destination image; Travelers’ decision-making processes.

Books