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Editors:
Enrico Ferro, PhD, Istituto Superiore Mario Boella, Italy
Yogesh K. Dwivedi, PhD, Swansea University, United Kingdom
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, PhD, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Mexico
Michael D. Williams, PhD, Swansea University, United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION:
Over the last fifteen years, the theme of digital divide has received remarkable press coverage and has attracted the attention of both the academic and the political world. The reasons for such interest are primarily due to two important issues related to the reduction of information gaps. From a national, regional, or local perspective, the elimination of the digital divide is perceived as a key ingredient in the construction of a socially equitable Information Society. Indeed, not having access – or having a disadvantaged access – to information in a knowledge-based economy is generally considered to be a major handicap. From a global perspective, the race for competitiveness requires that regions and nations learn how to harness the intellectual potential present in their territories. In this respect, the creation of an “e-inclusive” society represents a key strategic goal that governments need to accomplish in order to survive increasing international competitive pressure. The need to bridge the information gaps becomes even more pressing if we consider the ever-increasing importance of user-generated contents in national economies. In such a scenario, it is extremely important to work toward the creation of a society able to contribute to an economy that is moving towards a participative paradigm.
As a result, the theme of digital divide has moved higher on the list of priorities. In Europe, for instance, the elimination of the digital divide represents a key pillar of the Strategic Plan i2010. In contrast, the United States at one time had a robust framework, but now pays relatively little attention to digital inequality as a policy area.
An analysis of articles written about the state of the art in digital divide research highlighted a very complex picture characterized by: the existence of schools of thought proposing significantly different views of the digital divide and its potential evolution; the existence of a multiplicity of gaps related to both demand and supply aspects of the digital divide; a multiplicity of theoretical lenses and units of analysis (individual, enterprise, and state/country) that may be used to interpret and analyse the digital divide phenomenon; the necessity to better understand the relationship between the digital divide and other complementary phenomena such as eCommerce, eBusiness, eGovernment, eDemocracy, eHealth, etc.; and a fragmentation in the analysis of the digital divide phenomenon produced by different - often disjointed - scientific communities. The situation emerging from the current literature shows the complexity of the theme and calls for a more systematic overview of contributions in order to understand the phenomenon.
OBJECTIVE:
The need for greater understanding of digital divides clearly suggests that the production of a publication bringing together contributions from different disciplines and analyzing the phenomenon in all its different aspects could thus be beneficial for the advancement of research activity on this topic. Also, the presence of many different schools of thought calls for some discussion in the search for common ground. Therefore, the overall mission of this handbook is to understand the complexity of the topic and offer a comprehensive, integrative, and global view of what has been called the digital divide. Specifically, it will focus on the following key objectives:
- Obtain a representation of the phenomenon as complete as possible (integrative, global, comprehensive, etc.) by bringing together scholars from different disciplines and geographical regions.
- Study the interaction of the digital divide with complementary, intertwined phenomena such as e-government, e-business, e-democracy, and e-health, among others.
- Analyze the digital divide in various contexts (e.g. organisational, societal, national, local/regional) and explore the relationships between these contexts and how these interactions affect the overall results.
- Improve our current understanding about what scientific paradigms have been used in the monitoring and analysis of policies aimed at reducing digital divide and other related inequalities.
- Sketch various digital divides possible evolutions: (1) From hard to soft aspects, (2) From access to use, etc.
- Explore if the existing knowledge and policies on digital divides is adequate or limited in different national and cultural realities.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
- Policy Makers: Politicians, Legislators
- Academics: Scholars, Researchers, Students
- Private Companies: Consulting Firms
- Non Governmental Organizations
- Public Managers, Policy Analysts
- Voluntary Sector Organisations/Charitie
COVERAGE
In order to ensure that this publication presents the most comprehensive current and relevant coverage of all related topics on the digital divide, we are inviting researchers and leading experts in their particular areas to contribute chapters of between 8,000-10,000 words. Chapters should ideally address one or more of the previously stated key objectives, although chapters beyond the key objectives will also be considered.
Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Theoretical (and Disciplinary) Perspectives on the Digital Divide.
- Tools and Methodologies to understand the Digital Divide.
- Understanding the Digital Divide in Context (Cases from different countries).
- The Digital Divide as a Complex Phenomenon (Chapters describing intersections with eGov, eHealth, eDemocracy, eBusiness, etc.)
- Managing the Digital Divide: designing and analyzing digital divide policies.
- Implications and Trends (Possible Evolutions and Future Challenges).
INSTRUCTIONS FOR INVITED SUBMISSIONS:
Individuals interested in submitting chapters on the above topics or other related topics in their area of interest should submit via e-mail, a 2-3 page manuscript proposal (.doc format), including your name, affiliation, proposal(s), and a list of topics (5-7) on which you are interested in writing a chapter, clearly explaining the mission and coverage of the proposed chapter by March 31, 2008. You will be notified about the status of your proposed topic by April 28, 2008. Upon accepting your proposal, you will have until July 31, 2008 to prepare your chapter of 8,000-10,000 words and 7-10 related key-terms and their appropriate definitions. Guidelines for preparing the chapter and terms and definitions will be provided upon acceptance of the proposal. This book is scheduled for publishing by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), www.igi-global.com, publisher of IGI Publishing (formerly Idea Group Publishing), Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing, Information Science Reference (formerly Idea Group Reference), and Medical Information Science Reference imprints in 2009.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Deadline for submission of proposals: March 31, 2008
Notification of proposal acceptance: April 28, 2008
Deadline for submission of full chapters: July 31, 2008
Notification of review results: September 30, 2008
Revised chapters due: October 30, 2008
Final notification of chapter acceptance (revised chapters): November 30, 2008
Please send an e-mail declaring your interest to the Editorial Team
using the following e-mail address:
book@ismb.it
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