Call for Papers—Special Issue on Operations Management for Developing Economies

Introduction

According to the International Monetary Fund, 152 countries—home to approximately 6.87 billion people—are classified as emerging and developing economies (International Monetary Fund 2023).¹ Despite this, much of the research published in our top journals remains focused on industrialized nations. Emerging and developing economies, home to over 85% of the global population, remain underrepresented in top Operations Management (OM) journals.

This special issue aims to expand the field by advancing what we term development operations management (DOM)—a subfield akin to development economics. DOM focuses on designing and implementing strategies, policies, and solutions to enhance economic prosperity and industrial competitiveness in resource-constrained environments, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This vision is, in part, inspired by impactful studies conducted by renowned development economists and Nobel laureates, such as Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer, whose work has shaped evidence-based approaches to addressing economic and social challenges in developing countries.

Although developed and developing economies may encounter similar OM issues, solutions effective in developed contexts often fail to translate in developing contexts due to structural differences. These include inadequate infrastructure, fragile institutions, political instability, currency fluctuations, and the prevalence of informal sectors. To tackle these complexities, it is vital to account for a range of local factors, including legal frameworks and foreign exchange risks, market dynamics, cultural norms, religious influences, and local content—for example, reliance on domestic goods, services, and labor. Broadening the scope of research may necessitate incorporating new theories, tools, and methodologies designed to address the unique challenges that firms in developing nations face. Such an approach ensures that OM research not only addresses diverse global contexts, but also contributes to creating more inclusive and applicable solutions.

We seek to foster research that:

1. Extends OM theory to economies at the bottom of the pyramid,

2. Promotes economic prosperity in less-developed regions, and

3. Enhances OM practice by integrating innovations emerging from these contexts.

We welcome theoretical, empirical, and field-based research that focuses on the unique characteristics of developing countries—including market dynamics, institutional constraints, cultural factors, and local supply chains. Studies centered on multinational firms’ operations in developing economies or humanitarian logistics fall outside of the scope.²

Submission Process and Timeline

All submissions should be submitted via the M&SOM online submission system: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/msom. All submissions will be subject to the journal’s standard peer-review process. Criteria for acceptance include originality, contribution, and scientific merit. For submission guidelines, please visit the journal’s homepage to learn more at https://pubsonline.informs.org/page/msom/submission-guidelines.

Authors are encouraged to propose guest associate editors and provide a brief justification for their selection in their cover letter. Authors are also encouraged to choose at least one associate editor from the current list available at https://pubsonline.informs.org/page/msom/editorial-board. Furthermore, authors wishing to have a check on scope fit are welcome to submit a confidential extended abstract (no more than one page) to the special issue editors.

Timeline

• Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2026

• First-round decisions and feedback: September 1, 2026

• Second-round submission (for those papers invited to revise): March 1, 2027

• Final decisions (subject to minor revisions): June 1, 2027

We look forward to receiving your submissions.