ifipwg94 2011 - IFIP Working Group 9.4 - 11th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries

IFIP Working Group 9.4 - 11th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries

http://www.ifipwg94.org.uk/

Kathmandu, Nepal, 22-25 May 2011

Conference Theme: Partners for Development: ICT Actors and Actions

The International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) invites you to the IFIP Working Group 9.4's 11th International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries.

Research on 'ICT for development' (ICT4D) is now well established. While ICT is now generally accepted to have a key developmental role, the actual process through which development is influenced remains a much debated issue. Increasingly both conceptual and empirical research on ICT4D has sought to identify and better understand the challenges posed by the socio-political context in which ICT is used in developing countries. With the conference theme, Partners for Development:ICT Actors and Actions, we hope to draw special attention to the role played by multiple actors - public and private, activists and entrepreneurs as well as other kinds of intermediaries - within ICT4D processes and their associated impacts. The conference hopes to provide a space for articulating a variety of approaches and views from these different types of actors in relation to ICT and sustainable development. Nepal, the host country for this year's conference, presents a unique opportunity to engage with such actors given the growing significance of ICT in this landlocked, mountainous, developing country.

In addition to papers from the field of information systems, we also invite contributions that address the conference theme from a variety of other perspectives such as development studies, political science, political economy, social anthropology, and sociology. Multidisciplinary papers are very welcome. The following are a list of sub-themes proposed to stimulate ideas, and not with the purpose of being restrictive or exhaustive. We would welcome cases and experiences in this respect grounded in theory. Proposals for panels would be very welcome.

Sub themes:

Making ICT4D Work: Activists, intermediaries and entrepreneurs
ICT4D: Evaluating the past, envisioning the future
Ensuring sustainability and scalability of ICT4D projects
ICT for good governance and human rights
Remoteness, exclusion and inclusion
ICT for rural and urban development - contrasts or interaction?
Public and private partnerships
ICT4D and poverty
Mobile technology for development (M4D)
Research methods in ICT4D
Theoretical and conceptual aspects of ICT4D
The developmental role of ICT in specific areas such as Healthcare, Education, Environmental issues, Tourism, Politics, Media, Small and micro enterprises etc
Conference Committee

Conference Chair:

Maung K Sein, University of Agder, Norway

Programme Co-Chairs:

G. Harindranath, Royal Holloway, University of London & Bjørn Furuholt, University of Agder, Norway

Who Should Attend

The conference will bring together academics, practitioners (from the private sector, NGOs, and public sector), and policy advisors who are involved with ICT and development in developing countries.

Conference Papers and Submissions

All papers will be double blind reviewed. Note that in case of acceptance, at least one author must have registered for the conference by March 31st, 2011 for the paper to be included in the electronic proceedings.

We are in discussions with the Journal of Information Technology for Development to publish a special issue of papers from the conference. We hope to invite selected papers from the conference for further review and possible publication in this special issue. Further details will be published shortly.

Format for Paper Submissions

Documents must be written in English, in Open Office Writer or MS Word .doc format, according to the following rules:

Single Spacing
Cover page containing: o Title of manuscript o Authors' names, affiliations and contact details for correspondence including e-mail address
Abstract of not more than 200 words
No author names anywhere else on the manuscript other than on the cover page
Repeat the title on the second page, before the body of paper
Full Research Papers: Length limit: 5000 words for text excluding abstract, diagrams, tables and references
Research in Progress/ Practitioner Reports of Experience and Reflection: Length Limit: 2500 words of text excluding abstract, diagrams, tables and references.
Submissions should be made through the website - details to follow.
We suggest you to use the paper template that can be downloaded from http://www.ifipwg94.org.br/ifip94_2007_paper_templ.... The paper template is needed for the final camera ready version. You may use it for the initial paper submission for review if you wish, but do not forget to remove the author's names in the header. If you are using OpenOffice Writer, please save your document in Microsoft Word 97/2000/XP format, using the "Save As" option. If you are using MS Word, please check the file/properties option, deleting any information about the authors´ name or institution