*** Apologies for possible cross-postings *** CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - IAMCR Communication Policy & Technology section Taipei, 26-28 July 2005 The Communication Policy & Technology section (CP&T) of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions of abstracts for papers to be presented at the 2005 Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, 26-28 July 2005. The Conference will be held under the theme: Media Panics: Freedom, Control and Democracy in the age of Globalisation. More information about the conference is available at: http://iamcr2005.shu.edu.tw/. The CP&T Section's focus is on communication policy, with a keen interest in socio-economic aspects of technological change. The Section welcomes research that bridges between theory and practice, theoretical and empirical studies, by offering scientific reflection as well as guidelines for political action. The CP&T Section does not adhere to any single philosophical or theoretical school but encourages research that is critical and counter-intuitive. For the Taiwan conference, we plan to hold sessions on: Emerging ICTs and user empowerment Peer-to-peer exchange, blogging, wiki, smart mobs, social software, location-based services, are emerging ICT applications that seem to allow the user to adopt an active role in 'configuring' and 'domesticating' technology. However, all technological change is embedded in, and constrained by the social context of everyday life and work. The question therefore remains to what extent these new applications really enable users to participate in political, economic and cultural life. Internet governance: who rules? The question of Internet governance is high up on many agendas. Governments are discussing how to deal with unwanted content on the web, whereas market players are becoming increasingly creative in competing for the control of the Internet. The Section welcomes contributions that address the question who controls the Internet, why and with what effects. The digital media in Asia: the 'geo'-factor Papers for this session are to be situated in Asia and have either a regional, national or local focus. They highlight geo-political, geo-economical or geo-cultural factors as possible explanations for the evolution of digital information and communication systems. Papers that discuss Asian information and communication systems in relation with other continents are also welcomed. Digital Divide Digital divide being an indication of unequal access and use of ICT is provoked by factors of economic, socio-political, educational, gender, and cultural nature. In different national contexts digital divide results in inequality, media illiteracy and decreased communication competence. Papers for the joint session of the CP&T and Working Group on Digital Divide, convened by Elena Vartanova, are invited to discuss new models of national and global communication policy to overcome the digital divide with a special focus on the role of various social agents such as states, NGOs, content and access providers and users. Criteria for selection of abstracts The CP&T welcomes abstracts from the global research community. Younger researchers from all regions are especially encouraged to submit abstracts for evaluation. The CP&T has a tradition for keeping high academic standards. In evaluating abstracts, we look at criteria such as: 1.The scientific or policy relevance of the research problem 2.The formulation of the research question 3.The clarity of the objective of the paper 4.The consistency of the proposed argument 5.The theories and/or methodologies used 6.The nature of the empirical evidence presented. Abstracts may be rejected on the basis that they do not meet these criteria or that the information provided is of insufficient quality. Abstracts of about 500 words should be submitted by 1 February 2005 to Tanja Storsul (tanja.storsul@media.uio.no). All prospective presenters will be advised by 1 April 2005 of the outcome of their applications. The full text of accepted papers would be due for submission no later than 1 June 2005. Joint Heads: Hopeton S. Dunn & Pascal Verhoest Deputy Heads: Jo Pierson & Tanja Storsul