Mahyar Eftekhar, Arizona State University

Serguei Netessine, University of Pennsylvania

Yanchong Zheng, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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

This special issue aims to expand the field by advancing 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 inspired by impactful studies conducted by renowned development economists and Nobel laureates, whose work has shaped evidence-based approaches to addressing economic and social challenges in developing countries.

Although developed and developing economies may encounter similar supply chain and operations management issues, solutions effective in developed contexts often fail to translate 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 requirements such as 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.

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 the scope of this special issue.

Potential topics

• Extending OM theory to economies at the bottom of the pyramid
• Promoting economic prosperity in less-developed regions
• Enhancing OM practice by integrating innovations from developing economies
• Supply chain management in developing countries
• Market dynamics and institutional constraints in developing economies
• Cultural factors and local supply chains
• Infrastructure and institutional challenges in resource-constrained environments
• Currency fluctuations and foreign exchange risks
• Informal sector operations
• Local content requirements and domestic reliance

Timeline

• June 1, 2026: Deadline for submission
• September 1, 2026: First-round decision and feedback
• March 1, 2027: Second-round submission (for papers invited to revise)
• June 1, 2027: Final decisions (subject to minor revisions)