MOR 22.4 Special Issue on

“Entrepreneurship and Poverty Reduction in the AI and Digital Technology Era”

Letter from the Editor

More than half a century ago, Albert Einstein reminded the scientific community that ‘Concern for making life better for ordinary humans must be the chief objective of science. Never forget this when you are pondering over your diagrams and equations!’ His appeal remains profoundly relevant today. It has now been a decade since the United Nations established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, with No Poverty designated as Goal #1. This milestone invites an important question: What has management research contributed toward the realization of this foundational objective?

This special issue offers a window into cutting‑edge scholarship by examining how individuals and communities in non‑Western contexts – including China, Japan, Pakistan, and Vietnam –harness advanced digital technologies and entrepreneurial initiatives to combat poverty. The contributing studies employ a diverse array of methodologies, such as case studies, secondary data analyses, and survey‑based research, to illuminate effective mechanisms and pathways for poverty alleviation. Collectively, they advance overarching theoretical perspectives that enrich our understanding of how management research can meaningfully address global inequality.

I extend my deepest appreciation to the Guest Editors – Steven Si, David Ahlstrom, Jeremy Hall, Jiang Wei, and Victor Cui – for their unwavering dedication and scholarly leadership in bringing this special issue to fruition. Over the course of three years, they have worked closely with authors with remarkable commitment and perseverance. Their contributions have been invaluable, and I am truly grateful for their efforts.

Xiao-Ping Chen, Editor-in-Chief

Management and Organization Review    

Editorial Essay

Steven Si, David Ahlstrom, Jeremy Hall, Jiang Wei, and Victor Cui
Entrepreneurship and Poverty Reduction in the AI and Digital Technology Era

Special Issue Articles

Garry D. Bruton, Weiwen Li, Niharika Garud
Technology Entrepreneurship, the Poor, and Socialism

Fred Ofori, Stelvia Matos, Mahdi Tavalaei
Digital Poverty in the Global South

Naomi Jane Wakayama, K. Praveen Parboteeah, and Youngwon Park
Social Innovation and Poverty Reduction: A Stakeholder Mobilization Process Model

Yiyi Su, Shaker A. Zahra, Ya’nan Zhang, and Mengdi Shang
Digital Financial Inclusion and Income Stratification: Implications for Entrepreneurship and Poverty Reduction

Song Lin and Yanan Lin
From Hardship to Salvation: Entrepreneurs’ Poverty Experience and Digital Poverty Reduction

Xu Ding, Weizhen Yu, Jinchuan Shi, and Xiufen Liu
The Paradox of Poverty Reduction: How Digital Economy Development Widens the Urban-Rural Income Gap in China

Muhammad Asif Nadeem, Waheed Akhter, Thi Hong Van Hoang
Does Digital Financial Knowledge Participate in Poverty Alleviation? A Moderating Study with Microfinance in Pakistan

Loan Ngoc Tuong Pham, Minh Nhat Nguyen, Nhan Truong Thanh Dang, Lam Dang Nguyen
Digital Literacy, Digital Entrepreneurial Mindset, and Poverty Alleviation in Vietnam