[AISWorld] AMCIS 2019 CFP - Minitrack: Blockchain for Development

[Paulo Rupino Cunha]

Call for Papers: 25th AMCIS
August 15 - 17, 2019, Cancun, Mexico

Minitrack: BLOCKCHAIN FOR DEVELOPMENT

Track: Global Development (SIG GlobDev)


Blockchain is emerging as a very promising technology. It is based on a shared, distributed ledger, where transactions can only be registered by consensus in a network of peers, using cryptographic mechanisms that render the records virtually immutable. This enables transparency, auditability, and resilience. Additionally, Blockchains can also store and enforce smart contracts – pieces of code that are executed automatically once predetermined conditions are met – further reducing uncertainty and promoting confidence among stakeholders that would not normally trust each other and, thus, dispensing with middlemen.
This has led to innovative experiments in high profile areas, such as financial services, insurance, healthcare, value chains, shipping and logistics, Internet-of-Things, Intellectual Property Rights licensing, and crowdfunding, among others.
In addition, Blockchain also holds a huge potential for development in general and emerging economies in particular. It can foster more democratic mechanisms and help fight corruption. It can enable secure and lean ID mechanisms, reduce the number of unbanked, prevent voting fraud and tax evasion, improve government management of public benefits, reduce commissions on remittances of emigrants, control donations and charity initiatives, or ensure integrity of public records.
In the past, we have seen emerging economies lag in ICT adoption when compared with developed counterparts. With Blockchain, however, the opportunity exists to implement the technology in the same time frame, to address afflicting areas and even leapfrog established solutions in others.
 
We seek papers offering contributions in the following, non-exhaustive, topics:
- The social, human, and economic development impact of Blockchain
- Blockchain for Development case studies, applications, and implementations
- Alternative ID systems based on Blockchain
- Blockchain in e-government and public administration
- Barriers and enablers in the adoption of Blockchain for Development
- Blockchain and traditional pain points in Development  
- Blockchain and voting
- Blockchain and the legal system
- Blockchain and regulatory frameworks
- Smart contracts
- Alternative uses of Blockchain
- The use of crypto currencies in countries in crisis  
- Tokens, ICOs, fundraising 
- Blockchain and disruptive innovation
- Business models supported on Blockchain


** A special issue of a journal is being negotiated to fast track expanded and improved versions of accepted papers **


Important Dates:
January 7, 2019: Manuscript submissions open
March 1, 2019: 10 am PST Deadline for paper submissions
April 15, 2019: Author notification of decisions
April 24, 2019: Camera-ready submissions due

Submission Instructions:
https://amcis2019.aisconferences.org/submissions/types-of-submissions/ <https://amcis2019.aisconferences.org/submissions/types-of-submissions/>



Minitrack co-chairs:
Paulo Rupino da Cunha, University of Coimbra, Portugal (rupino at dei.uc.pt <mailto:rupino at dei.uc.pt>)
Piotr Soja, Cracow University of Economics, Poland (eisoja at cyf-kr.edu.pl <mailto:eisoja at cyf-kr.edu.pl>)
Marinos Themistocleous, University of Nicosia, Cyprus and University of Piraeus, Greece (themistocleous.m at unic.ac.cy <mailto:themistocleous.m at unic.ac.cy>)