Special issue on IT innovation in emerging economies

Introduction Information and communication technology (ICT) innovation research has concerned itself with researching industrialized high-income regions of the world, with specific reference to large organizations and their innovative abilities. Emerging economies/developing countries have not been considered as a hot bed of innovation. Researchers have preferred to focus on economic and institutional structures in higher income regions that enable innovators, entrepreneurs, growth generating organizations and institutions to become more efficient through the application of innovative ICT systems. The prescriptive narrative for emerging economies has been to get their economic systems in order, then think of innovations. The logic has been that unless basic economic systems and institutions are in place, innovation in emerging economies or developing countries cannot have a major impact on economic growth. However, with the advent of ICT there is ample evidence that such a systematic ‘synchronized’ approach to institutions, firms and innovation has needed to be challenged. Today, there are serious attempts to engage with innovation in emerging economies using information technology (IT). As the developed world suffers from poor or fading economic performance, ICTs are enabling emerging economies to move forward despite the continued challenges of weak institutions, poor governance and creaking infrastructure. It is this entrepreneurial innovative spirit this special issue has sought to capture. In our call for papers we stated that: