Dear TIM Division colleagues,
we are pleased to share the Call for Papers for the upcoming Special Issue of Technological Forecasting and Social Change on the theme:
Platform Thinking: Towards a Cross-Sectoral Socio-Technical Paradigm
About the Special Issue
This Special Issue explores how platform thinking is evolving from a digital business model into a broader socio-technical paradigm shaping collaboration, governance, value creation, and institutional change across sectors. It welcomes conceptual, empirical, and review contributions that advance our understanding of platform logics beyond traditional digital artifacts and into hybrid, industrial, public, civic, and mission-driven domains.
The issue is edited by:
Daniel Trabucchi, Tommaso Buganza, Luca Mora, Paavo Ritala, and Wim Vanhaverbeke.
Important Dates
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Submission open until 15 October 2026
Please see full details on scope, topics, and submission procedures in the Special Issue link above.
Symplatform 2026 (1 online; 3–4 September 2026 in Milan) will host a special track connected to this Special Issue, offering authors the opportunity to receive in-person, pre-submission feedback from the guest editors. Extended participation and early engagement with the editorial team can strengthen manuscript development prior to journal submission. Extended abstracts are expected by April 2nd.
Call to Action
We encourage submissions from scholars working on platforms, ecosystems, digital and socio-technical innovation, governance, markets, organizational design, and adjacent areas. Please feel free to circulate this call within your networks, including PhD students and early career researchers.
Kind regards,
Daniel Trabucchi, Tommaso Buganza, Luca Mora, Paavo Ritala, and Wim Vanhaverbeke
Guest Editors, TFSC Special Issue