[UgaBYTES] Call for Papers: Open Development: Technological, organizational and social innovations transforming the developing world

[Meddie Mayanja]

Dear colleagues,

This is a call for papers for an edited volume on Open Development through the application of ICTs. Selected papers will be invited to participate in an upcoming IDRC-sponsored expert meeting to be held in Ottawa, Canada in March 2010. Subject to further peer review, a subset of papers will be published in an edited volume through a commercial publisher. Quality permitting, a select few will be nominated for further peer review and potential publication in the open journal Information Technologies and International Development (http://itidjournal.org/itid). Papers that are not included in the book or journal will be included in an open access working paper series. 

Deadline for abstract submissions: July 20, 2009

Deadline for final papers: November 30, 2009

Guest Editors for special edition of ITID: Michael Clarke, IDRC, Ben Petrazzini, IDRC; Matthew Smith, IDRC

A Little Background:

A recent document entitled "Open ICT4D," (http://www.idrc.ca/panasia/ev-133699-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html) inspired by observations in the field, as well as by recent theoretical writings, set out the hypothesis that the appropriate application of "open" principles can catalyze the connecting and communicating power of ICTs to enable social, economic, and political development. Openness is understood as a range of social activities that favor more access, participation, and collaboration. These principles guide us toward more inclusive, participatory, and collaborative social relationships between actors (governments, citizens, civil society groups, businesses, etc.). The hypothesis states that these open social arrangements provide the context within which the enabling mechanisms of ICTs can be most effectively catalyzed. 

This call for papers seeks to test and refine the above hypothesis by bringing together expert views and evidence concerning the following points:

How does (or might) ICT-enabled, increased access to information and communication possibilities, as well as new forms of participation and collaboration, result in social, economic, and political development? 
What are the possible downsides and risks of expanding openness in the cultural, social, economic, and political spheres, and how can we mitigate them? 
 
We seek papers that conceptually and empirically target the different dimensions of openness: access, participation, and collaboration, as well as their applications/implications for development in different domains. The papers are intended to provide a reference point for researchers interested in the enabling role that new technologies play in new forms of social, economic, and political development through the provision of theory, empirical case examples, and the development of salient research questions on the topic.

This call for papers, therefore, invites researchers to submit abstracts proposing theoretical and empirical papers that address one or several of the following themes and questions:

Linking Openness and Development

What is openness, and what are the theoretical and empirical connections between openness and promoting human development? 
What are some implications of increasing openness in different spheres of social, economic, and political activity? 
What are the participatory or collaborative activities which, enabled by ICTs, will catalyze developmental benefits and be applicable across domains? 
What are the connections between openness, innovation, and development? 
What is the relationship between open principles and a knowledge society? 
Is more openness inevitable? When is openness a public good? 
Are there differential issues that distinguish the meaning of openness in developing versus developed economies? 
Do the new possibilities of openness through ICTs have any implications for development approaches? 
Openness and Enabling Context 

What are the central impediments/barriers to implementing openness? 
What are the roles of IP laws, ICT Policy, and standards in enabling openness to catalyze development? 
Are the appropriate regulatory, human resource, and technological conditions currently present in the developing world to either support or hinder the achievement of positive outcomes related to open principles? 
What new organizational/structural models are emerging to support open content creation and dissemination/participation/collaboration? 
Domain Specific Empirical Examples

Open government (participatory budgeting, open data, transparency, etc.) 
Open access to education, open and collaborative educational resources 
Open source software (applications) 
Open research and open access to scientific journals 
Open access to law 
Open business models 
Open technological innovations, open hardware, and mesh networks 
Mobiles and access 
Political mobilization (through Web 2.0 tools, SMS) 
Research syntheses of "openness" cases 
What are the lessons learned from existing openness activities? 
 
Guidelines for Abstract/Chapter and Submission Deadlines

If you are interested in participating in this inquiry, please submit an extended abstract of 400-600 words, outlining the main issues, hypotheses, and structure of the paper. Please also submit full contact details to msmith at idrc.ca by July 20, 2009. Accepted formats are Microsoft Word (.doc), rtf, and OpenDocument (ODF). In August, successful candidates will be invited to submit a 6,000 to 8,000 word paper by November 30, as well as to present their findings at a conference to be held at the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, provisionally planned for March 2010. It is anticipated that the IDRC will be able to cover travel and accommodation costs. Subject to peer review, selected papers will be published in an edited volume through a reputable commercial publisher. Quality pending, a select few will then be nominated for a special edition in the open journal Information Technologies and International Development. They should, therefore, contain original material.

Key Dates

Abstract submission deadline:  July 20, 2009
 
Notification of abstract acceptance; invitation to write full papers for the conference: August 14, 2009
 
Confirmation of interest in writing a full paper and participating in the conference: August 30, 2009
 
Submission deadline for final papers: November 30, 2009
 
Conference in Ottawa (IDRC): March 2010
 
For further information, please contact Matthew Smith: msmith at idrc.ca. 

The ICT4D Program Area in IDRC


Since 1970, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has been committed to advancing the role of information in development. A tradition of innovation that began with an emphasis on building databases and information systems has evolved into a focus on the transformative nature of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The ICT4D program funds interdisciplinary research projects that address several of its priority themes related to key development areas, such as education, health, governance, livelihoods, the environment, and gender.

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Meddie