Please find a Call for Book Chapters and looking forward to your valued contributions. Best Regards. Hakik. CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS Proposals Submission Deadline: 02/28/2006 Full Chapters Due: 07/31/2006 Developing Successful ICT Strategies: Competitive Advantages in a Global Knowledge-Driven Society A book edited by Dr. Hakikur Rahman, SDNP Introduction The world is in the midst of an all-embracing technological revolution. Although this revolution has taken various names, there is little doubt that it is a revolution of information technology, or an innovative techno-economic paradigm, brought about by a set of neoteric information and communication technology (ICT). The ongoing ICT revolution combined with the forces of globalization, has provoked the aspirations and fears of countries at all levels of development, to leapfrog to the new economy. As a result many governments have formulated national ICT policies and strategies, where ICT is treated mainly as a thrust sector. However, in the current status quo while mainstream development practitioners continue to ignore the inherent roles of ICT poses serious jeopardy to development effectiveness. Therefore, the strategic significance of ICT for enabling national development and poverty reduction strategies must be clearly understood and operationalized by countries striving to gain global competency. The Overall Objective of the Book Maximizing the potential of ICT requires both promoting their use and addressing the inequality and dislocation they may cause. New technologies and the human and institutional capacity building in the public and private sectors, coupled with trends towards a greater emphasis on development initiatives at the state level, have resulted in a paradigm shift in the roles of the private sector and governments in ICT. Despite the massive prospects of ICT in assisting communities to increase their overall well-being through community development, there are relatively a very few examples of sustained community networks that have built around ICT. This book features these aspects in developing substantial national ICT strategies for their economies and makes use of their competitive advantages in a global knowledge driven society. The book also includes policies and perspectives of similar natures, including success cases around the world to synthesize and assist the reader in acquiring comprehensive knowledge from various analyses. The Target Audience Access to ICT requires education, infrastructure and institutions, three basic resources that many countries lack. Without them, it is increasingly likely that the poor may be on the trailing side of this revolution. This book will find its standpoint for its readers among multi-sectoral research bases. Apart from academics, researchers, and think tanks, the book will be extremely handy to the International Financial Institutions, National governments in LDCs, Non-Governmental Organizations, Donor agencies, Development partners and private sector entrepreneurs operating in ICT4D arena. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following: * Emancipation of ICT Policies for Grass roots Outgrowth * Enactment of Autonomous ICT Policies in Developing Countries * Improved utilization of ICT policies for producing better products * Enhanced linkages between ICT and inequality across and within economies * Making ICT as a core competency for promoting competition and sustained development * Enabling mobility through wireless communication, tele-work, tele-services and e-learning * Focusing scarce resources as national priorities and help sequence complementary investments * Balancing market forces, enabling bottom up efforts, and ensuring shared learning and scaling up * Speeding up all types of transactions throughout the economy by reducing response time closer to zero * Preparing a rationale in designing national strategies for e-development (or e-enhanced development) * Complimenting needs and dynamics of promising ICT segments for export and economic competitiveness * Creating impact of ICT in social & economic development as enabling factor in national development strategies SUBMISSION PROCEDURE Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before February 28, 2006, a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by March 31, 2006 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by July 31, 2006. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by Idea Group, Inc., publisher of the Idea Group Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing, and Idea Group Reference imprints. Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to: Dr. Hakikur Rahman SDNP Bangladesh (UNDP) BIDS, E-17 AGARGAON, DHAKA-1207, BANGLADESH Tel.: +880 2 8126204 FAX: +880 2 9118543 GSM: +880 189 228939 e-mail: <mailto:hakik@sdnbd.org>hakik@sdnbd.org