Using Fuzzy Logic in QCA for the Selection of Relevant IS Adoption Drivers in Emerging Economies

Abstract

This paper argues that typical adoption studies fail to capture the nuances and realities of emerging economies in Latin American (LAT) regions. Existing research has a long list of factors that are based on studies outside of the LAT region, which is a problem because there are almost no studies that capture the unique perspective of the LAT context. These issues, in turn, creates uncertainty because the context in LAT varies widely from the economies where most of these studies are conducted. To begin to address this problem, the authors used a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) using fuzzy logic to refine the selection of drivers obtained from earlier studies. The study revealed fourteen themes as being relevant candidate drivers for comparative future research purposes. It is argued that these results provide local stakeholders with a set of drivers relating to IS adoption within a specific context, namely in LAT economies and provide a contextual frame to develop more meaningful studies in LAT economies.