African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development – AJSTID

I am extremely happy to share the news that I have been welcomed as one of 28 associate editors of the AJSTID.

The ASJTID is a new peer-reviewed journal focused on science, technology, innovation and development in the emerging nations of Africa.

A print of the Table of Contents for the issue pictured above follows.

Other Staff I Know. I am happy to be in the small box of Associates with two Professors from the ASEAN that I know who are at the forefront of research in the area of national innovations systems, Professors Patarapong Interakumnerd and Pun-Arj Chairatana, both of Thailand.

Among the seven Book Review Editors is a friend, Prof Ju Liu of China.

In the big box of Editorial Advisors are notable names in the area of evolutionary economics and national innovations systems.

Two of them were keynote speakers at the 6th ASIALICS in Hongkong on July 2009: Professor Venni V. Khrishna of the Centre for Studies in Science Policy at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in India (now visiting at the National University of Singapore) and Professor Xue Lan of the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China.

I did meet and had a chat with Professor Khrishna in a chance meeting at Green Templeton College at Oxford University in December, 2009.

Other very illustrious scholars among the thirty Editorial Advisors whose papers I have read and of which some I have written about in SYNTHESiST are: Christopher Freeman, Richard Nelson, Giovanni Dosi,Bengt-Ake Lundvall, Luc Soete, and Carlota Perez among many others.

I have also had the pleasure of knowing one of the editors-in-chief, Professor Angathevar Baskaran, at the 6th Asialics in Hongkong.

Unlike them who are hardworking and cited journal scholars, my efforts are merely journalistic in form though exploratory. Thus, my joy at being invited for the post.

I conclude with a quote from Professor Richard R Nelson’s personal reflections on developments in evolutionary theory in the Research Notes/Commentaries of this issue of the AJSTID that applies to national innovations systems in emerging markets:

Some of the concepts that can be utilized from the evolutionary economic theory are as follows:

• Co-evolution of technologies and institutions;
• The importance not only of examining micro-economic phenomena but also the micro-economic details for economic development;
• The variations in economic sectors, industries, and agents;
• The explicit case for inclusion of policy through the conceptual framework of innovations systems to economic development by going beyond firms and households.

Indeed, Professor Nelson’s insight are considerations in my own explorations on innovation and change management from the point of view of emerging markets.

He speaks, I think, of managing change in co-evolution, of firms in the microeconomy, of starting policy from the the microeconomy, and of pragmatism and case-by-case approach despite being guided by the overall NIS concept – Professor Lundvall insists the NIS is not yet a theory – much more an ideology.

Indeed, evolutionary economics has move some ways from its roots in a few decades.

I vow to work hard and contribute my share to this endeavor. Please click here for a link to AJSTID.

I do hope I am able to finish my creeping work with case studies from world-class innovations developed out of the Philippines.

I also hope I can make it to 7th Asialics and discuss new ideas and renew friendships. Being busy on automated elections, it does not seem like I can make it at this point.