Evolutionary Perspective of the Dynamics of Industries: Revisiting the Role of Social Technologies
DETAILS
Call for Papers – Evolutionary Perspective of the Dynamics of Industries: Revisiting the Role of Social Technologies
Journal: Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Publisher: Elsevier
Journal metrics: Impact Factor 3.9, CiteScore 6.7
Submission deadline: 15 October 2026
This special issue invites scholars in innovation and technology management to revisit the concept of “social technologies” within an evolutionary theory of industrial dynamics. Building on Nelson and Winter’s framework of “variation–selection–retention,” it asks how non‑market institutions, organisational routines, governance mechanisms, and policy‑related coordination tools (“social technologies”) co‑evolve with physical technologies and shape the formation, evolution, and transformation of industries and innovation systems.
Why this issue matters
Despite growing recognition that “social technology underpins physical technology” (Nelson, 2008), the innovation and dynamics of social technologies themselves remain under‑studied, especially in emerging‑technology domains such as AI, big data, cloud computing, and intelligent agents.
Latecomer economies often struggle not only with mastering technical change but also with designing and managing the social‑technological infrastructures (e.g., learning routines, policy incentives, inter‑organisational networks) that make innovation sustainable and competitive.
Recent trends—geopolitical fragmentation, tech‑nationalism, and decoupling of global innovation systems—raise questions about how social technologies must adapt in territorially bounded, nationalism‑oriented industrial innovation systems.
This SI explicitly positions social technologies at the heart of evolutionary industrial‑dynamics research, and welcomes contributions that bridge innovation studies, industrial economics, political economy, and technology management.
Key themes and research questions
Submissions may be theoretical, empirical, qualitative, or methodological, and should connect social technologies with industry evolution, innovation systems, and technological change.
Conceptualising social technologies
What are the core attributes and boundaries of social technologies in the context of innovation and industrial dynamics?
How do social technologies differ from, and relate to, organisational capabilities, routines, and institutions?
Formation and evolution of social technologies
What actors, institutions, and policy mechanisms shape the construction of social technologies in different sectors and national contexts?
How do learning, knowledge accumulation, and technological trajectories influence the evolution of social technologies?
Social technologies in frontier‑technology contexts
What kinds of social technologies are needed to support innovation and diffusion in frontier technologies (e.g., generative AI, large language models, big data analytics, cloud platforms, intelligent agents)?
How do emerging technologies drive or constrain the innovation of social technologies in firms and industries?
Co‑evolution of physical and social technologies
How do technical change, organisational routines, and institutional arrangements co‑evolve to shape industrial structure and competitive advantage?
Case studies showing how physical‑technology shifts reshuffle social‑technology configurations (e.g., in R&D, collaboration, regulation, and standard‑setting).
Routines, capabilities, and industrial organisation
How do social technologies shape the formation, evolution, and transformation of organisational routines and dynamic capabilities?
How do social technologies help explain heterogeneity in innovation and performance across firms and sectors?
Innovation systems, policy, and government roles
What role do industrial policies, government agencies, and non‑market institutions play in shaping social technologies and industrial dynamics?
How do national and regional innovation systems vary in their “social‑technology architecture” and what explains catch‑up or lagging‑behind trajectories?
Catch‑up and post‑catch‑up processes
How do latecomer economies develop social‑technology capabilities to support industrial catch‑up and beyond‑catch‑up trajectories?
Comparative studies of social‑technology configurations in advanced vs. emerging economies.
Social technologies under tech‑nationalism and geopolitics
How are social technologies in strategic industries (e.g., semiconductors, AI, biotech, critical minerals) being reconfigured amid trade restrictions, sanctions, and fragmented innovation ecosystems?
Whether and how territorially bounded, nationalism‑driven institutional models become the dominant form of industrial innovation systems.
Link to InnoTech 2026 conference (recommended track)
This topic is addressed as a special track in the InnoTech 2026 conference hosted by Elsevier.
Extended‑abstract submission (conference, optional but recommended): by 15 April 2026
Acceptance notification: by 15 May 2026
Draft full‑paper submission: by 15 October 2026
Conference presentation: 22–24 May 2026 (Beijing, China and online)
Accepted conference papers with strong potential will be invited to submit to the JET‑M Special Issue.
Guest editors
Prof. Liang Mei, National School of Development, Peking University, China
Prof. Kaidong Feng, School of Marxism, Tsinghua University, China
Prof. Yang Liu, School of Management, Zhejiang University, China
Prof. Chunmian Ge, School of Business Administration, South China University of Technology, China
Submission details
Submission portal: Elsevier Editorial Manager for Journal of Engineering and Technology Management:
https://www.editorialmanager.com/engtec/default.aspxWhen submitting, select article type: “VSI: Social Technologies”.
Submission window:
Submission open date: 15 August 2026
Final manuscript deadline: 15 October 2026
All manuscripts undergo peer review; editorial decisions expected by 1 June 2027.
Papers should clearly situate their work within evolutionary theory of industrial dynamics, explicitly define what they mean by “social technologies”, and show how their analysis links to industry‑level innovation, structural change, and socio‑technical transformation.
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