Pankaj Setia, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Priya Seetharaman, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

Abhishek Kathuria, Deakin University

Marco Marabelli, Bentley University

Contemporary Information Systems (IS) are marked by transformations at the intersection of technology, people and organizations (Setia 2024). These are shaped by, and are shaping how firms, communities, and societies evolve. As researchers unravel these dynamics, India presents a compelling context. Rooted in millennia of cultural and commercial history, India is now rapidly being reshaped by the forces of digital innovation. Indian business landscape is a vibrant mosaic where ancient artisanal traditions, kinship-based commerce, informal enterprises, and social ventures coexist with state-owned firms, family conglomerates, and home-grown blue chips. This landscape often collides with large multinationals, platform economies, and globally scaled startups. Together, India’s palimpsestic business environment, pluralistic culture, and demographic vastness form a powerful trifecta that offers a unique context for researchers. Specifically, unlike a monolith landscape, India represents a living, evolving environment of practices, identities, and aspirations.

This special issue invites submissions focused on how rapid technological acceleration in India is strategically reshaping the country’s business environment. We particularly welcome submissions that explores how culture, capabilities, and commerce evolve amid the transformations of a historically layered, institutionally complex economy. Traditionally, India’s artisanal industries and cultural expressions were deeply entwined with its commercial practices (Tharoor, 2016). Centuries of colonial domination disrupted local crafts and knowledge systems; today, the digital wave carries a similar dual potential, risking the displacement of traditional modes of production while also offering new avenues for visibility and market access. India’s contemporary platform economy, with its roots in the historical bazaar and emporium systems (Athique, 2020), exemplifies this paradox.

The expansion of digital technologies into an informal, fragmented economy has introduced elements of structure and visibility long described by Scott’s notion of “legibility” (1998), a concept which relevance persists as states and platforms alike seek to render local practices more standardized and governable in the digital age. Could the drive for scale, efficiency, and algorithmic appeal lead to a flattening of cultural nuance in favor of standardization and mass reproducibility? This scenario becomes real if Information Technology (IT) education and digital skilling emphasize surface-leveltechnical credentials and globalized templates of “digital competence” (Rangaswamy & Narasimhan, 2022) rather than contextually grounded, socially attuned capabilities.

Research on India’s digital transformation offers opportunities to develop new theoretical insights for the global IS community. India’s “digital revolution” began with the IT services boom of the 1990s, expanded through the telecom and mobile internet surge of the 2000s, and has accelerated since the mid-2010s (Seetharaman & Cranefield, 2019) along with more recent initiatives such as Digital India (nationwide digital infrastructure and e-governance), Aadhaar (biometric digital identity) (Addo, 2022), UPI (Unified Payments Interface, i.e. inter-bank peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant real-time payments), and ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce - a decentralized, interoperable open e-commerce). The early IT services phase delivered major economic gains, creating an entire industry, generating jobs, boosting exports (Bhatnagar & Madon, 1997). More recently, the focus has shifted to attracting foreign investment and expanding access to information (Parthiban et al., 2024). Yet some scholars have questioned the limited societal spillovers and skewed labor composition (Barnes, 2013) of India’s IT industry. Others note that emerging digital technologies may help move beyond low-end services toward more diversified, socially embedded growth (Das & Sagara, 2017).

The current IT development phase, characterized by digital platforms embedding services related to fintech, e-governance, and mobile ecosystems, has expanded access to resources, formalized parts of the informal sector, and holds promise for reducing poverty and inequality. These developments offer models for the wider global majority, even if significant challenges remain. The complex dynamics of new technological affordances and constraints, ranging from cross-platform interoperability to fraudulence (Kumar et al., 2025) and lack of sufficient regulations that balance conflicting interests (Marabelli & Davison, 2025; De’ et al., 2024), hinder the equitable spread of these digital platforms across socio-economic groups.

IS research, including studies published in JSIS, highlights how digital technologies may afford the creation of economic opportunities for the informal sector, help small and medium enterprises access new markets (Parthiban et al., 2024; Shirish et al., 2025), and transform service delivery in high impact industries such as healthcare (Hiriyur, 2022; Setia, 2023). In India and in the wider global majority countries, digital technology has also been socially transformative such as through, amplifying marginalized voices, lowering barriers to political participation (Kulshreshth, 2023), and supporting creative industries through digital media (Mehta & Cunningham, 2023), though always mediated by prevailing social norms and values (Oreglia & Srinivasan, 2016). This ongoing transformation is however complicated by geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and economic nationalism which are leading to a rethink of globalization’s promises (Butollo et al., 2024). Although digital technologies, AI (artificial intelligence) in particular, are deeply entangled with environmental sustainability challenges exacerbating global resource inequalities; yet they also enable strategic responses to climate risks through innovations in smart cities, agriculture, and disaster prediction (Marabelli & Davison, 2025). For India too, this shift opens up both risks and opportunities: it may create greater space for indigenous enterprises, self-reliant supply chains, and localized innovation, while also changing the nature of export-led sectors and globally networked business models (Witt et al., 2023). The interplay between fractured globalizing forces and India’s own plural, multi-scale economy raises pressing questions about sovereignty, resilience, and cultural-economic autonomy.

This special issue seeks to examine strategic opportunities, disruptions and challenges arising from the intersection of culture, commerce, capabilities and technology in the Indian context. We welcome research that shows how digital technologies reshape strategic choices, organizing logics, and competitive positioning while remaining embedded in India’s uniqueness. The special issue also aims to foreground location-specific research agendas and contextual theorization (Avgerou, 2019), emphasizing the need for research that is not only rigorous and relevant, but also responsible to its context (Seetharaman et al., 2024).

By bringing together diverse ideas and a deeper understanding, this special issue aims to reframe India not as a battleground between tradition and modernity but as a dynamic site of ongoing negotiation, reinvention, and possibility.

Potential topics

• Craft, Culture, Civilization, and Vernacular Economies
• Digital Platforms, Inclusion, and Ecosystems
• Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Labor
• Policy, Scale, and Governance
• Firm-Level Strategy and Organizational Change

Timeline

• March 6, 2026: Developmental workshop for interested authors at InCIS 2026
• May 1, 2026: Deadline to submit a 1000-words extended abstract on the JSIS portal (not required but highly recommended)
• July 1, 2026: Submission of full papers opens
• September 30, 2026: Submission deadline for full papers
• January 31, 2027: Initial feedback to authors
• April 30, 2027: Deadline for resubmission of revised papers
• September 30, 2027: Final Submissions due
• December 1, 2027: Final editorial decisions communicated to authors

Associate editors

• Amit Prakash, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore
• Anuragini Shirish, Institute Mines-Télécom Business School
• Ashish Kumar Jha, Trinity Business School
• Ashish Gupta, Auburn University
• Atta Addo, Surrey Business School
• Bidisha Chaudhuri, University of Amsterdam
• Devinder Thapa, University of Agder
• Janaki Srinivasan, University of Oxford
• Juliana Sutanto, Monash University
• M N Ravishankar, Queen's Business School
• M S Sandeep, UNSW Business School
• Nirup Menon, George Mason University
• Onkar Malgonde, North Carolina State University
• Radhika Santhanam, University of Oklahoma
• Rahul De, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
• Rajiv Kishore, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Saji K Mathew, Indian Institute of Technology Madras
• Samrat Gupta, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
• Satish Krishnan, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
• Silvia Masiero, University of Oslo
• Soumyakanti Chakraborty, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
• Sumeet Gupta, Indian Institute of Management Raipur
• Sunil Wattal, Temple University
• Suranjan Chakraborty, Towson University
• Swanand Deodhar, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad

Jason Chan, University of Minnesota

Alan Dennis, Indiana University

Daniel Gozman, The University of Sydney

Kalle Lyytinen, Case Western Reserve University

Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) encompasses essential systems and services that are vital for societal stability, economic security, and national safety. The increasing digitalization of these infrastructures has introduced unprecedented efficiencies that have transformed economies, enabling faster service delivery, improved public safety, reduced corruption, and enhanced crisis response through data sharing and analytics.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supports digital public infrastructure (DPI) as a driver for financial inclusion, social protection, and governance reforms. Digital advancements have also driven sustainability, with smart grids, environmental monitoring, and optimized resource management with potential for reducing carbon footprints and increasing resilience.

Furthermore, technological innovation in financial services, transportation, and energy has the potential to stimulate economic growth through enabling new business models. While the increasing digitalization of Critical National Infrastructure has introduced efficiencies, it also created unprecedented vulnerabilities, including cyberattacks, cascading failures, and systemic interdependencies that amplify risks.

Recognizing these challenges, governments in the UK, US, and Australia have developed regulatory frameworks such as the UK’s National Cyber Security Strategy, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) guidelines, and Australia’s Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI Act) to enhance resilience and mitigate emerging threats.

CNI spans multiple critical sectors, each with unique security and operational challenges, including energy and utilities, telecommunications and information networks, financial services and payments, healthcare and public health, transportation and logistics, emergency services and law enforcement, and government and public sector infrastructure.

As efforts to build CNIs have accelerated, issues around CNI security, resilience, and adaptability are becoming increasingly critical. At the same time significant research gaps remain in cybersecurity practices at the system level, governance, integration and management of emerging technologies such as Autonomous Driving Systems, and threat intelligence sharing.

Addressing these gaps is essential for policymakers, businesses, and infrastructure operators to mitigate threats, optimize performance, and ensure long-term continuity.

This Special Section aims to advance research on the design, adoption, and impact of digital solutions and services critical in building CNI to enhance governance, economic development, and public service delivery and safeguard CNI. We invite interdisciplinary contributions that explore how digital technologies and services can enhance CNI or impose new risks and challenges for the operation of CNIs. Papers that do not explicitly address or theorize about CNI design and operation and their digital components will be returned without review.

Potential topics

• Emerging Technologies and Digital Transformation: Innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, Blockchain and IoT are transforming CNI, enabling predictive analytics, smart grids, and cyber-physical security enhancements.
• Cybersecurity, Resilience, and Risk Management: Cyber threats such as ransomware, insider attacks, and cyber-physical vulnerabilities continue to grow. Risk assessment frameworks and mitigation strategies are essential.
• Governance, Policy, and Public-Private Partnerships: CNI governance requires polycentric collaborative efforts between government agencies, private sector entities, and international stakeholders.

Timeline

• June 1, 2025: Expression of Interest: one-page abstract, optional
• January 31, 2026: Initial Submission Due
• May 31, 2026: Notification of First Round Decision
• September 30, 2026: 1st Resubmission Due
• January 31, 2027: Notification of Second Round Decision
• April 30, 2027: 2nd Resubmission Due
• June 15, 2027: Final Decision