Dear all, Please see below a paper call for a special issue on "Government, Policy-making and the Internet" (http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news/?id=776), to appear in Policy and Internet (deadline: 1 April 2013). Guest eds: Dr Jill L. Tao, Dr Jill Satran. Best wishes, David David Sutcliffe Managing Editor, Policy and Internet http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-2866 ** Policy and Internet Call for Papers: Special Issue on Government, Policy-making and the Internet ** Governments have long been in the business of providing the means for communication to and amongst its citizens: from the provision of mail services to telephone lines to air waves, the role of government has been central to social and informational networks. This role is now mediated by Internet-based technologies that dramatically alter the way in which we communicate, reduce the cost of sharing information and reshape the way government formulates and delivers on its policies. Up until now, public sector personnel developed policy based on a wide array of inputs (budget, people, outcomes, etc.) and once the policy was developed, technology experts were brought in to figure out the technological means for implementation. Today's technology is changing that model; technology is now an integral input to the 'tools' of policy development, changing the scope of what is possible and critical to implementation, and therefore the driver in many cases. This special issue calls for academic papers reporting novel empirical research on how the Internet and related ICTs reshapes the way government formulates and delivers on its policies. This includes such questions as:
How does the technology and widespread use of the internet challenge conventional government approaches to policy formulation and implementation?
What approaches are governments taking to adapt service provision and foster citizen engagement?
In what ways does the use of these approaches by public organizations (such as transparency, information sharing and equity of access) clash with political strategy?
How do these approaches bring new players into the policy provision game, and what impact are these new groups having?
To what extent can big data approaches be used in policy-making, how do they alter the demand for government services, and what are the implications for democratization?
This list of topics is not exhaustive, and other questions related to government, policy making and the Internet will be considered. Please contact the editors (policyandinternet@oii.ox.ac.uk) if you have any queries about how your paper might fit in the issue. ** Paper Submissions The online submission deadline for papers is 1 April 2013. Please indicate in the submission form that the paper is intended for the special issue 'Government, Policy-making and the Internet'. Authors are advised to consult the journal's Guide for Authors before submitting their paper. Authors: Submit your paper now (ScholarOne login page): http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/poi ** About the Guest Editors Dr Jill L. Tao is an associate professor of public administration in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Incheon in South Korea. Prior to entering academia, she worked as a consultant to state and federal government agencies in the United States, primarily in the area of environmental regulation. She worked to build expert knowledge systems that would smooth the interface between citizens and regulatory agencies by utilizing the efficiencies of online resources. Currently, her research focuses on the ever-blurring divide between public and private realms, and the role technology plays in that process. Dr Jill Satran currently serves as the Director of Policy in the Washington Office of the State CIO. She previously served as Washington Governor Chris Gregoire's Deputy Chief of Staff. She also served as the Director of Accountability and Performance within the Governor's Executive Policy Office and was responsible for coordinating the Governor's Economic Recovery team which oversees the implementation of the over $4 billion of Recovery Act funding coming into the state. Dr Satran's previous positions in Washington State government include policy and program analysis for the Governor's Executive Policy Office, the Department of Transportation, the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee, and Counsel to the House Transportation Committee. She also has experience as a senior management consultant in the private sector, serving primarily state government agencies. She is a graduate of the University of Washington Law School, and earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Florida State University. ** About Policy and Internet Policy and Internet aims to be the premier venue for scholars and researchers to set the public policy agenda in the digital era. The journal is edited by the Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford) for the Policy Studies Organization (PSO). It was established in 2009 as the first major peer-reviewed journal investigating the implications of the Internet and associated technologies for public policy. The journal is fully multi-disciplinary in scope: perspectives from any academic discipline are welcomed, particularly political science, economics, law, sociology, information science, communications, computer science, psychology, management, geography and medicine. Topics range across policy sectors and regions of the world, including generalised, sectoral or country-specific policy effects. Approaches may include methodological innovation, theoretical development or new data. The Editors are Professor Helen Margetts, Dr Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon and David Sutcliffe (University of Oxford). There are four issues a year, published by Wiley-Blackwell. Contact the Editors: policyandinternet@oii.ox.ac.uk [ends]