[AISWorld] CfP Electronic Markets: “Social Welfare Computing”

Thu Jun 15 07:05:29 EDT 2023

--- Apologies for cross-postings---

Dear colleagues,

we would like to recall you that Electronic Markets is inviting submissions
for a Special Issue on “Social Welfare Computing”. Please find further
details below.

Call for Papers: “Social Welfare Computing”
Submission deadline: July 31, 2023 (Deadline extended)

Guest Editors
•	Eric K. Clemons, The Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania, USA, clemons at upenn.edu 
•	Maximilian Schreieck, University of Innsbruck, Austria,
maximilian.schreieck at uibk.ac.at
•	Helmut Krcmar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany,
helmut.krcmar at tum.de
•	Tung Bui, University of Hawaii at Mānoa Shidler College of Business,
Honolulu, HI, USA, tungb at hawaii.edu 

Theme
After the first special issue on Social Welfare Computing in Electronic
Markets' issue 32/2 (https://link.springer.com/collections/ejdefaghaj), this
second special issue aims to continue the discussion of regulatory policy to
minimize the harm caused by online platforms and by their abuse of the power
created by their business models. This refers to limitations of current EU
digital policy statements, such as the recently agreed Digital Services Act
updates, or the Directive on Copyright in a Single Digital Market, or other
descriptions of EU policy. Similarly, large online platforms may represent
an existential threat to societal cohesion as highlighted by the recent
Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa. 

Equally important is to maximize social welfare resulting from the offerings
provided by these platforms, which requires that regulatory policy must not
limit innovation. Areas where rapid increase in capabilities require
regulatory relaxation rather than increased regulatory strictness. As only
one example, new technologies have yields increases capabilities to create
works with artistic and creative merit by modifying and reusing existing
works protected by intellectual property rights. Since IP protections are
designed to benefit society by increasing the supply of creative works,
increased value from reuse of protected works suggests that current balance
between ensuring supply and ensuring access may now be too restrictive.

Finally, regulatory policy toward online platforms must avoid creating
opportunities for technology companies based in markets like China, which
would be less responsive to Western attempts at regulation. It calls for
policies for protecting benign and essential platforms from unfair
competition from more dangerous and more abusive platforms. As the power,
influence, and revenues of platform giants approaches that of the
nation-states in which they operate, there is a need for a greater sense of
social responsibility and obligation for corporations to benefit the
societies in which they operate, beyond the benefits that they already
provide to customers and to shareholders.

Central issues and topics
The appropriate topics for paper submissions include the following, but are
not limited to topics on this list:
•	New approaches to consumer protection and the changing role of
information asymmetry
•	New online business models, new sources of power, new forms of abuse
of power, and the possible need for new antimonopoly regulations
•	Normative models for Social Welfare Computing: what should society
expect from ethical online businesses, just as we are asking what society
should expect from ethical fossil fuel companies
•	The changing relationship between online platforms and the state:
can platforms become too powerful for the state to control, just as the
state became too powerful for the church to control?
•	Regulatory relaxation: when do the benefits from new platform
capabilities justify regulatory relaxation rather than increased regulatory
restrictions?
•	New approaches to contain the manipulation of public opinion, fake
news, and the threat to western democracies

Submission
Electronic Markets is a Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)-listed journal
(IF 6.017 in 2021) in the area of information systems. For this special
issue, original contributions with a broad range of methodological
approaches, including conceptual, qualitative, and quantitative research are
sought for. In particular, the option to submit position papers and case
studies should be considered for this special issue. All papers should fit
the journal scope (for more information, see
www.electronicmarkets.org/about-em/scope/) and will undergo a double-blind
peer-review process. Papers must be submitted via Electronic Markets’
submission system at elma.edmgr.com. Depending on the article format (e.g.,
research/position paper), the preferred average article length is
approximately 10,000 words, excluding references. Instructions, templates
and general information are available at
www.electronicmarkets.org/authors/general-information/. You may contact the
guest editors if you would like to discuss any aspect of this special issue.

Keywords
Social Welfare Computing, online platform power, online business regulation,
fake news and manipulation of voters

Important deadline
* Submission Deadline: July 31, 2023 (extended)

References
Alt, R. (2022) From competitive advantage to social welfare – An interview
with Eric K. Clemons. Electronic Markets, 32(2), 487–492.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00577-5

Clemons, E.K., Schreieck, M., Hermes, S., Rowe F., & Krcmar, H. (2022a) The
cooperation paradox. Electronic Markets, 32(2), 459–471.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00534-2

Clemons, E.K., Schreieck, M., Krcmar, H. & Bui, T. (2022b) Social Welfare
Computing and the management and regulation of new online business models.
Electronic Markets, 32(2), 411–414.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00535-1

Clemons, E.K., Waran, R.V., Hermes, S., Schreieck, M., & Krcmar, H. (2022c)
Computing and Social Welfare. Electronic Markets, 32(2), 417–436.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-021-00512-0

Kokuryo, J. (2022). An Asian perspective on the governance of cyber
civilization. Electronic Markets, 32(2), 475-485.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00523-5

Rowe, F., & Markus, M. L. (2022). Taking the measure of digital giants:
Amazon and the Social Welfare Computing research agenda. Electronic Markets,
32(2), 437-446. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00544-0

Trzaskowski, J. (2022). Data-driven value extraction and human well-being
under EU law. Electronic Markets, 32(2), 447-458.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-022-00528-0

Best regards,
The EM Editorial Team

====================================================================
Electronic Markets - The International Journal on Networked Business 
Editor-in-Chief: Rainer Alt, Leipzig University
Co-Editors: Mathias Klier, Ulm University; Maria Madlberger, Webster Vienna
Private University; Hans-Dieter Zimmermann, Eastern Switzerland University
of Applied Sciences 
Executive Editor: Ramona Coia, Leipzig University

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