Call for Chapters: Enhancing Community Empowerment Through Digital Transformation in Local Governance   Editor Hakikur Rahman, International Standard University, Bangladesh Call for Chapters Proposals Submission Deadline: July 27, 2025 Full Chapters Due: October 19, 2025 Introduction Digital transformation is reshaping local governance, offering new opportunities to strengthen transparency, service delivery, and citizen participation at the grassroots. While e-governance has progressed significantly at national and regional levels, its application in local contexts remains inconsistent, often hindered by infrastructural, institutional, and socio-economic challenges. This edited volume explores how digital technologies—such as AI, data analytics, mobile platforms, and blockchain—can empower communities and foster inclusive, participatory governance at the local level. Drawing on diverse case studies and interdisciplinary perspectives, the book examines practical frameworks, emerging innovations, and policy implications that support effective digital inclusion and community engagement. By focusing on real-world experiences and scalable solutions, this volume aims to contribute to the global discourse on localized e-governance and offer actionable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers alike. Objective This book seeks to advance the understanding of how digital transformation can be effectively applied to local governance structures to enhance community empowerment. While much of the existing research on e-governance focuses on national or urban-level implementations, this volume specifically addresses the often-overlooked grassroots tier—where governance is most directly experienced by citizens. The book aims to fill critical gaps in current literature by: • Bridging theory and practice: It connects conceptual frameworks of digital governance with real-world applications at the local level, providing evidence-based insights from diverse contexts. • Highlighting community-centric approaches: It emphasizes bottom-up digital initiatives that prioritize local needs, participation, and inclusivity, rather than top-down models that often fail to resonate at the grassroots. • Integrating emerging technologies: By exploring the roles of AI, data analytics, mobile technology, and blockchain, the book illustrates how innovation can drive transparency, service efficiency, and participatory decision-making. • Offering comparative perspectives: Through contributions from developed, developing, and transitional economies, the book provides a broader understanding of the challenges and opportunities in implementing localized digital governance. Target Audience This book is intended for a diverse audience spanning academia, government, civil society, and the development sector. It will be particularly valuable for: • Researchers and Academics in public administration, political science, digital governance, development studies, and ICT4D, seeking up-to-date, practice-informed perspectives on grassroots e-governance and digital inclusion. • Policymakers and Government Officials, especially those working in local government, decentralization, and digital transformation initiatives, who require actionable insights and scalable models for community engagement through technology. • Development Practitioners and NGOs involved in community development, civic participation, and digital literacy programs at the local level. • Technology Developers and Consultants working on digital public service delivery, civic tech, and e-governance tools aimed at improving governance effectiveness and inclusivity. • Graduate Students and Educators looking for case studies, comparative analyses, and conceptual frameworks to enrich curriculum and research in governance and digital innovation. Recommended Topics (but not limited to) ·        Conceptual Foundations of Digital Transformation and E-Governance o   Definitions, theories, and evolution of digital governance at the local level o   Frameworks for community-centric e-governance ·        Digital Inclusion and Bridging the Digital Divide o   Strategies to ensure access for marginalized and rural populations o   Gender, age, and socio-economic dimensions of digital access ·        Technologies Enabling Local Governance Transformation o   Applications of AI, data analytics, mobile platforms, and blockchain o   Role of open data and interoperability in local service delivery ·        Case Studies of Local e-Governance Implementation o   Comparative analyses from developed, developing, and transitional economies o   Success stories and lessons learned from community-level initiatives ·        Participatory Governance and Civic Engagement o   Digital platforms for citizen feedback, participatory budgeting, and e-consultations o   Enhancing transparency and accountability through civic tech ·        Capacity Building and Digital Literacy o   Training local government officials and community members o   Addressing resistance to technology adoption ·        Policy and Institutional Frameworks for Local e-Governance o   National and sub-national policy alignment o   Legal and regulatory considerations ·        Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Ethical Challenges o   Protecting community data and ensuring trust in digital systems o   Balancing innovation with accountability ·        Monitoring and Evaluating e-Governance at the Grassroots o   Indicators for impact assessment and sustainability o   Community-driven evaluation methods ·        Future Directions and Scalable Models o   Designing adaptive, resilient, and inclusive local governance systems o   Research agendas and policy recommendations   Submission Procedure Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before July 27, 2025, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by August 10, 2025 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by October 19, 2025, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at  https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project. Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Enhancing Community Empowerment Through Digital Transformation in Local Governance. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process. All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager. Publisher This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference," "Medical Information Science Reference," "Business Science Reference," and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit  https://www.igi-global.com/ . This publication is anticipated to be released in 2026. Important Dates July 27, 2025: Proposal Submission Deadline August 10, 2025: Notification of Acceptance October 19, 2025: Full Chapter Submission   Inquiries Hakikur Rahman International Standard University mailto:email@hakik.org   To submit your chapter proposal please follow the link: https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/9015