Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Information Technologies and People entitled, “Trust and Information and Communication Technologies and Development.” Guest Editors: Renee Kuriyan, Intel Research; Kathi Kitner, Intel Research; Jerry Watkins, Swinburne University.
The objective of this special issue is to discuss the role of trust in accessing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Research in ICT and Development (ICTD) focuses on the role of ICTs in promoting socio-economic development. ICTD projects include a variety of development domains such as (but not limited to) financial services for the poor, e-governance, health, agriculture, enterprise, and poverty alleviation. There is a large body of literature on the topic of trust as a property of relations between different social actors (institutions, individuals). Trust can be thought of as the expectations or perceptions that people have of one another, and of the institutions with which they interact. Trust can be examined at several levels including interpersonal relations between individuals, as well as relations between individuals and institutions like businesses, political parties, and governments (such as trust in institutional arrangements). Trust is often discussed in relation to ICT interventions, particularly in transactions between individuals, governments and entrepreneurs that rely upon information and communications technologies. Scholarship has shown that interpersonal trust between customers and agents/entrepreneurs in particular ICT facilitated projects (such as mobile banking or telecenters) can be weak, while institutional relations between citizens and larger organizations such as the government or large businesses are stronger. There are a variety of perspectives on the role of trust in relation to ICTs and a growing literature on the topic. This special issue will provide a forum for both academic researchers and practitioners interested in broadening and deepening the understanding of the concept of trust in relation to ICTs. The purpose of this special issue is to widen the debate surrounding trust and the social actors involved in ICT interventions. The role of the human intermediary has been identified as extremely important by most studies on telecentres. The goal is to shift the focus from simplistic notions that trust in intermediaries guarantee project success to critical understandings of trust in systems and projects, motivations and incentives of social actors, and the variable roles of intermediaries and institutions in service provision. For this special issue, we welcome work that explores the complex issue of trust in engagement with ICTs. Research employing innovative research methods will be especially welcome. Papers considering the role of trust through the lens of project assessment, policy, impact, critiques and social issues around ICTD will be considered. What role does trust play in the sustainability of ICTD projects? How do intermediaries shape citizens’ perceptions and trust in ICTD services? How does trust in institutions differ than interpersonal relations in accessing ICT services? Will communities trust intermediaries for providing multiple services including those previously provided by other sources and institutions? Topics include, but are not limited to: Critical theories on trust.· Interpersonal issues of trust around ICT facilitated· electronic services (like mobile banking, e-governance, e-health, and private or commercial services…) with intermediaries or beyond immediate social circles Policies and infrastructures for ICT access (effects· of trust in reducing or increasing inequality in access) Individual perceptions of risks and dangers of ICT· services, perceptions of government, and strategies of managing and living with these perceptions Methodologies and epistemologies for researching the· experience of trust Roles of institutional trust vs interpersonal trust· with ICTs Authors are invited to submit original, unpublished work, not under consideration for publication elsewhere, with a theory, research or practice focus on the relationship of trust and ICTs. Authors are encouraged to be clear about how their research addresses trust in relation to ICT for development. We welcome both theoretical and empirical papers; literature reviews as well as original work. Papers should seek to contribute to the understanding and theorizing of trust in ICTD. Authors may submit articles up to 7,000 words in length by sending an electronic version to the following address only: www.itandpeople.org Deadline for Abstracts: 29 June 2009 (at this stage, no formal selection will take place, although suggestions that are unlikely to be accepted at a later stage will be discouraged to submit a full paper). Deadline for Paper Submission: 31 August 2009 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mobile-society" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mobile-society?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
