Calls for papers

 

International Journal of Electronic Business
International Journal of Electronic Business

 

Special Issue on: "eParticipation Challenges and Opportunities"


Guest Editor: Dr. Clive Sanford, National Chengchi University, Taiwan


Governments seek to encourage participation in order to improve the efficiency, acceptance, and legitimacy of political processes. Citizens, non-governmental organisations, businesses, lobbyists, and pressure groups demand participation in order to further their own interests, either within the established political system or outside it through activism and civil disobedience. Participation contributes to deliberation, opinion forming, agenda setting, political decision making, and feedback mechanisms (where these can be thought of as stages of a policy-making cycle). Participation is therefore an important component of all democratic systems, and in some democratic forms (such as direct democracy) it is the central component. Governments and the public sector are making increasing use of information and communication technologies, to foment participatory activities.

eParticipation, therefore, involves the extension and transformation of participation in societal democratic and consultative processes that are mediated by information and communication technologies. It synergistically enhances democratic and the formal political processes through the use of new digital technologies by facilitating, changing, and improving patterns of democratic deliberation and decision-making. This special issue is devoted to further our understanding of the emerging research area of eParticipation.

Papers that address theory and practice of all aspects of eParticipation are invited. Case studies and empirical research are welcome. Contributions will be evaluated on their originality, clarity and relevance. Submissions from all interdisciplinary areas and from people with practical experience in industry or government are encouraged.

Subject Coverage
The topics include but are not limited to eParticipation research challenges in the following and related areas:
  • Theoretical accounts of the relationship between technology and participation
  • - Effect(s) of virtual communities or virtual cities on participation
    - Evaluating the effect of ICTs on political participation
    - Technologically mediated development of democracy forms
    - The role of political parties in online participation and campaigning
    - Grassroots campaigning and activism
  • Governmental and societal challenges
  • - Prioritizing eParticipation over managerial eGovernment projects
    - Extending participation in non-democratic or lesser developed countries
    - The extent of citizen involvement in voting and other participatory activities
    - The digital divide (improving access and avoiding elite control and inequality)
  • Socio-technical design of technologies and the participation and governance structures they are embedded in.
  • - Technology design (e.g. discussion systems)
    - Design and management of eParticipation activities (e.g. online debating, eVoting)
    - The design of on-line governance, participation in rule-making, transparency
    - Computer visualization techniques that facilitate consultation and decision making
    - Achieving security and trust (especially in eVoting)
  • Evaluating eParticipation genres
  • - Evaluating eParticipation: technologies and activities

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines at http://www.icebnet.org/author/


Important Dates

Full Paper Submission: 15 February, 2008

Authors Informed of Review Results: 15 May, 2008

Final Paper Submission: 15 June, 2008