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Call for Papers: Special Issue –

Community Informatics and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The Journal of Community Informatics (http://ci-journal.net)

Abstract submissions due June 30, 2013

Full papers due September 15, 2013

Anticipated publication date February 1, 2014

A special issue of the international Journal of Community Informatics (http://ci-journal.net/) will be devoted to examining the relationship between Community Informatics and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Community Informatics (CI) is the study and practice of enabling communities to improve their lives through Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). This special issue will focus on how community-based use of ICTs can contribute to both the achievement of specific MDG targets and the development of the post-2015 global development agenda. The issue is expected to be published in early 2014 and thus provide inputs to ongoing discussions on the finalization of a new global development agenda.

The Journal of Community Informatics is a medium for the communication of research of interest to a global network of academics, community informatics practitioners and national and multilateral policy makers.

Call for papers

The field of Community Informatics seeks to explore the potential of ICTs and their applications for social and economic development at community level. It particularly seeks to ensure that marginalized individuals and communities can benefit
from opportunities that ICTs can provide. Active and meaningful participation by people at community/grassroots level is arguably one critical element for the successful achievement of the MDGs – and any other development priorities, for that matter. As demonstrated in different parts of the world, ICTs enable the participation of people and give voice to the voiceless.

For this special issue, we are inviting original, unpublished research, points of view, case studies, reviews and field notes. All research papers will be double-blind peer-reviewed. Insights and analytical perspectives from practitioners and policy makers in the form of notes from the field or case studies are also encouraged. These will not be peer-reviewed but will be assessed as to their suitability for publication.

Expected topics in this special issue include:

1. National and local policies needed to foster synergies between CI and the MDGs

2. Local government, CI and ICTs: how to create a sound ecosystem for development and MDG achievement?

3. Enabling communities to participate in local decision making processes via ICTs

4. CI and access to information and open data related to development priorities

5. CI and local capacity development: can ICTs close or widen the gap?

6. The potential role for CI in the post-2015 global development agenda;

7. Framing global CI partnerships for development

8. Assessing the empirical evidence on the role of community ICTs in the MDGs to date

9. Using community-based ICTs to address extreme poverty and hunger

10. CI approaches to achieving universal primary education;

11. CI contributions to the promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment

12. CI influence to in the elimination of child mortality and achievement of maternal health

13. CI approaches to combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

14. CI and environmental sustainability

15. CI as a component of national and regional health information systems

16. CI and local participation strategies to meet MDGs

17. CI and social inclusion of groups targeted in MDGs

18. CI contributions to developing global partnerships

Special Issue Editors:

Charles Dhewa – CEO, Knowledge Transfer Africa (Pvt) Ltd, charles@knowledgetransafrica.com / charlesdhewa7@gmail.com

Jude Genilo – Head, Media Studies and Journalism Department, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, jude.genilo@ulab.edu.bd / jgenilo@yahoo.com

Raul Zambrano – Cluster Leader, Senior Policy Advisor, ICTD and e-governance, UNDP, raul@undp.org

Chris Zielinski – CEO, International Alliance on Information for All, chris@chriszielinski.com

Special Issue Assistant

Michel Castagné – castagne@alumni.ubc.ca