AJSTID CfPs/ EoI for Special issue on Exploring Methodologies for STI Research

Call for Expression of Interest

Special issue on Exploring Methodologies for STI Research

in African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID)

Guest Editors: Mika Raunio, Sheikh Fayaz, Abiodun Egbetokun and Rhiannon Pugh

During the Globelics Academy Alumni Meeting in Tampere, Finland 4-5th of June 2015, the need for a special issue introducing variety of less traditional methodologies in innovation studies was recognized. This concept note summarize the guidelines for the potential special issue that will appear in the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID). The Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Mammo Muchie was open to support the idea, and co-operate with the editors of the issue. The further development of special issue into a book is also being considered, as it could be useful for students, especially, although not only, in less developed countries.

The most traditional approaches to understanding innovation and its relations to economic and societal development, or simply economic growth, are survey based analyses using international databases like the European Community Innovation Surveys (CIS), or international patent data (e.g., PATSTAT, ORBIT). Case studies form the other wide stream of research methodologies.

In this special issue, we want to discuss more qualitative approaches (e.g., ethnographic studies) or more recent quantitative methodologies (e.g., computational data analysis and mining of digital data sources, "big data"). Also, conceptually different approaches (e.g., in political economy) may require different scope for analysis, and different methodological approaches. The special issue aims to recognize new (in innovation studies) and promising methodologies and discuss their role especially (but not exclusively) in emerging economies and developing country contexts; what specific benefits these methodologies may provide in these contexts, and what are the obvious handicaps or barriers to their widespread take-up.

The need for wider scope of analysis is not only to increase and to enrich our understanding of the phenomenon, but also to account for changing focus of innovation studies in terms of content (inclusive innovation, pro-poor policies, ecosystems) and new geographical divisions with different socio-economic realities (namely in developing countries), as well as availability of data. The special issue, and potential book, could be used in teaching among those who are interested in innovation studies especially in the context of the global South.

We are looking for approximately 10 high-quality articles on this topic. All articles will go through a double-blind review process. At this stage, we invite interested author(s) to send an expression of interest (EoI) via email to guesteditorsajstid@gmail.com. Please include Expression of Interest in the subject line of the email and provide a one-paragraph summary of the paper that you intend to write.
The deadline for the EoI is October 31, 2015. We will invite extended abstracts based on the EoIs within one month of this date.

Indicative Timeline:
Call for expression of interest: September 2015
Call for extended abstracts (max two pages): November 2015
Notification to authors of extended abstracts: December 2015
Full papers due: April 2016
Notification to authors of full papers: August 2016
Final papers due: November 2016
Send all submissions and queries to: guesteditorsajstid@gmail.com