[AISWorld] Eleventh Annual SIG Global Development Workshop Call for Papers

[Sajda Qureshi]

Eleventh Annual SIG Global Development Workshop
San Francisco, USA, Thursday, December 13, 2018
Theme: Information and Communication Technology Innovations  in Global Development

DESCRIPTION
Scholars in Information Systems are investigating societal impacts of ICTs on people, data and things, research in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT4D) is becoming increasingly diverse. Innovations in ICT4D involve investigating innovations in ICTs as well as innovative uses of ICTs.  Current innovative uses of blockchain technologies to track refugees, offer new identification mechanisms, healthcare tracking for epidemics and the use of cryptocurrencies to offer payment systems are offering new ways for people to bring about improvements in their lives. For example, the use of Bitcoin wallets have the potential to empower people through asset ownership and financial inclusion. With the fall of their banking systems and currencies in countries such as Zimbabwe and Argentina, the use of Bitcoins and cryptocurrencies have become prevalent. Innovative applications in open source communities are offering financial inclusion, health and wellbeing to those who were previously left out of opportunities to improve their lives from the global economy.

While drawing upon theories that help understand these emerging phenomena, research in ICT4D and IS also requires attention to the contextual challenges facing practitioners in the field. There have been attempts to develop theories that enable these challenges to be understood. Global pressures, socio-economic pressures, disruptive technology, and the emergence of multi-stakeholder networks are some of the forces being studied (Walsham 2017, Njihia and Merali 2013). An interesting and significant question is whether ICTs can play a sustaining, value-adding role that enables societies to move beyond the conditions that cause mass discontent to beneficial development for all. Such a role may include supporting social groups in: identifying and defining achievable goals, acquirable resources, and constraints to be acknowledged and if possible overcome; supporting sustainable & secure collaboration, offering health and wellbeing; and financial inclusion

The Global Development workshop addresses questions that provide new and meaningful definitions of Development, such as, Can ICTs support the development that will lead to improvements in lives of individuals, communities and regions? And inevitably, one needs to ask questions about how to better understand these problems and challenges. The papers in this workshop will also further the knowledge of what we know about how ICT enables the global economy by enabling local needs to be met in a manner that preserves the ability of the planet to support human life. It should be noted that focus includes not only development issues relevant to 'developing' countries but also those relevant to migrant and other minority communities or enclaves in Europe and North America.

Relevant topics for this Workshop include:

1.      Innovations in blockchain, cryptocurrencies for inclusion and sustainable development.

2.      Open source communities that offer innovations for financial inclusion, health and wellbeing

3.      Theoretical lenses and/or empirical studies that enable an understanding of: ICTs & Sustainable Development; ICTs & Peace building; ICTs & Disaster Recovery.

4.      Internet of things and ICT artifacts on the cloud that support holistic Development.

5.      Security & Technological constraints on the use of ICTs for development

6.      The role of government policy in fostering ICT human capital, cooperation and capacity building

7.      Innovations in health and wellbeing

8.      Social networking for Development, ICT human capital and capacity building

9.      Critical and theoretical perspectives on the digital divide and social inclusion

10.   Challenges of ICT human capital and capacity building in remote regions

11.   Educational systems; content provision and delivery; developing ICT skills

12.   Mobile technologies as infrastructure for ICT human capital and capacity building

13.   Frugal Innovation and innovative ways in which technologies are applied in developing regions.

WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS:
These will be published on the SIG GlobDev website and in the AIS E-Library with ISBN: 978-0-9976176-9-6.
FAST-TRACKING TO JOURNAL:
Authors of selected workshop papers will be invited to submit their papers for possible inclusion in a special issue of the Journal of Information Technology for Development<http://globdev.org/dev/?q=node/8> (ITD).

IMPORTANT DATES:
Abstract Submission                                               August 31, 2018
Paper/Panel Proposal Submission Deadline:  September 21, 2018
Notification to Authors:                         October 31, 2018
Deadline for Final Papers:                                     November 16, 2017
Workshop Date:                                                     December 13, 2018

AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
Submitted papers should be limited to 7,000 words or approximately 25 pages in length.
Please clearly indicate the category of your paper on the title page:
·        Research Paper
·        Contribution to Practice
·        Research-in-progress
·        Student Paper

The submission template and additional information and instructions for submitting papers and proposals to the workshop can be found at http://www.globdev.org/



SUBMISSIONS

Panel proposals and Paper Submissions should be uploaded to EasyChair submission web site for SIG GlobDev 2018 at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigglobdev2018



Any queries or abstract submissions should be sent to Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson, Virginia Commonwealth University, KMOsei at VCU.Edu<mailto:KMOsei at VCU.Edu>. Please include "SIG GlobDev Workshop" in the subject header of the email.


GENERAL CHAIR
Sajda Qureshi, University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA

WORKSHOP CO-CHAIRS
Arlene Bailey, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA

LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS CHAIR
Ted Stohr, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA

PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Pamela Abbott, Sheffield University, UK
Annika Andersson, Örebro University, Sweden
David Asamoah, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Irwin Brown, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Jyoti Choudrie, Hertfordshire University, UK
Sue Conger, University of Dallas, USA
Antonio Diaz Andrade, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Delvin Grant, Depaul University, USA
Mathias Hatakka, Dalarna University, Sweden
Marlene Holmner, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Stan Karanasios, RMIT University, Australia
Kirstin Krauss, University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa
Silvia Masiero, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
David Nemer, University of Kentucky, USA
Paulo Rupino da Cunha, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Piotr Soja, Cracow University of Economics, Poland
Sergey Samoilenko, Averett University, USA
Marita Turpin, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Judy Van Biljon, University of South Africa, South Africa
Roland Weistroffer, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Jason Jie Xiong, Appalachian State University, USA
Yingqin Zheng, Royal Holloway University of London, UK

WEBMASTER
Salam Abdallah, Abu Dhabi University, United Arab Emirates

PROCEEDINGS MANAGER
Jason Jie Xiong, Appalachian State University, USA