[Ict4devwg] Call for Papers: "Open Development: Technological, organizational and social innovations transforming the developing world"

[Vern Weitzel]

Subject: 	[bytesforall_readers] FW: Call for Papers: "Open Development:
Technological, organizational and social innovations transforming the
developing world" [2 Attachments]
Date: 	Fri, 22 May 2009 23:46:42 -0400
From: 	Partha Sarker <psarker at idrc.ca>


     *Call for Papers:*


     *Open Development: Technological, organizational and social
     innovations transforming the developing world*



/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 <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





**Background**



A recent document entitled “Open ICT4D,”
(http://www.idrc.ca/panasia/ev-133699-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html
<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 <mailto: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
<mailto: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.