Description
Nowadays, a desired goal of governments around the world is to foster an inclusive and equal society, in which all individuals are empowered and able to participate in the society as a whole and, at the same time, control their own future. Inclusion and equality are increasingly seen as a multidimensional concept, encompassing not only an economic perspective, but also civic and political participation, cultural identity, social interaction, and interpersonal networks. This understanding is a significant thrust driving the design of a new generation of integrated policies and programmes developed by governments around the world to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015.
Governments have identified digital technology as a way of addressing social exclusion and inequalities. Indeed, from an economic perspective, improving access to digital technologies could serve as a way for creating economic value, enabling efficiency and facilitating business. From other perspectives, particularly from the political and civic engagement one, as well as from the cultural and social participation, digital technologies enable new ways of communication, collaboration, and participation.
In addition to this, emerging technologies, are more and more being considered by governments to fundamentally transform how a new generation of integrated public policies and digital public services are designed and developed. Some of these trends are Big Data Analytics, Cloud Technologies, Internet of Things, Machine and Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Blockchain Technologies and Distributed Ledgers. By seeking the transformative effect of these technologies, governments and public services can improve their processes, therefore reducing costs and the administrative burden on citizens and businesses. It is also crucial to harness the synergies of these technologies to address societal challenges associated with inclusiveness, justice, and equality, in compliance with the SDGs and regional integration initiatives by governments.
However, a challenge faced by researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners today is how to ensure that the digital transformation initiatives and the adoption of emerging technologies do create or add value and sustain development outcomes in societies. Governments and decision–makers also have to understand and deal with a host of issues and challenges related to Electronic Governance (EGOV).
The 12th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV2019) will explore how existing and emerging digital technologies can be effectively harnessed to foster inclusiveness, equality, and sustainability. It will also address the implications and costs associated with the use of such technologies. Several tracks on diverse themes are available for paper submission, ranging from digital transformation to smart cities, security and privacy, open government, digital citizenship, or government research and policy. The conference will take place in Melbourne, Australia, from 20 to 22 February 2019. The Doctoral Colloquium and the Workshops will be held on 19 February 2019 (pre-conference day).
ABOUT ICEGOV
ICEGOV stands for International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance. Established in 2007, the conference runs on an annual basis and it was the beginning of a journey that has led the conference to eleven different cities spread over ten countries and four continents so far. In all its editions, ICEGOV has addressed pertinent subjects for academics, practitioners, and decision-makers in the EGOV domain. The conference is coordinated by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV).
A MULTISTAKEHOLDER CONFERENCE
ICEGOV has established itself over the years as a major conference in the domain of EGOV due to its unique combination of academics and practitioners. The conference promotes the interaction and cooperation between universities, research centres, governments, industry, and international organisations, all of which are essential to the development of EGOV and its community.
A GLOBAL CONFERENCE
ICEGOV promotes the sharing of knowledge through the publication and presentation of academic papers, both from developing and developed countries. This is complemented with a rich programme of keynote lectures, plenary sessions, invited sessions, and networking sessions, all organised by leading institutions and experts in the EGOV domain. Thus far, ICEGOV already reached 2025 paper submissions and was attended by more than 6000 participants originating from 109 countries around the world, making ICEGOV a truly global and International Conference dedicated to the Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance.
PROCEEDINGS
The main publication of ICEGOV2019 is the conference proceedings, which includes all accepted papers presented during the Paper Sessions, as well as all Doctoral Colloquium and Poster Exhibition papers. As in previous years, the proceedings are expected to be published by ACM Press, in digital format only, as part of the International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS) and under the title Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ISBN forthcoming). The editors are Soumaya Ben Dhaou, Lemuria Carter, and Mark Gregory. As in previous editions, it is expected that the conference papers are indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and DBLP – Computer Science Bibliography.
SPECIAL ISSUE
A special issue of Government Information Quarterly is expected to be published by Elsevier with the best papers from the conference. These papers will be carefully selected by the Programme Committee members, and expanded and improved by the authors before publication.
BEST PAPER AWARDS
A total of three awards are planned for the conference: Best Research Paper, Best Experience Paper, and Best Poster Paper. All three categories will be chosen by the Awards Committee.
Call for paper
Important Dates
Draft paper submission deadline：2018-10-05
Author guidelines
The submission categories comprise research papers (complete or ongoing), experience papers, doctoral research papers, and poster papers. All papers must comply with the page limit set below, including references, and must be submitted to the appropriate Track.
Complete research papers: papers that document complete research in one or more aspects of Digital Government, with proven or potential capability to advance the state of research in the field. Max. 10 pages, must be submitted to Tracks 1-7.
Ongoing research papers: papers that document ongoing research in one or more aspects of Digital Government, with proven or potential capability to advance the state of research in the field. Max. 4 pages, must be submitted to Tracks 1-7.
Experience papers: papers that describe completed or ongoing innovations in Digital Government policy or practice with proven or potential capability to advance the state of practice in the field, including critical success factors, challenges encountered and how they were addressed. Max. 6 pages, must be submitted to Tracks 1-7.
Doctoral papers: papers written by doctoral students to describe their ongoing research related to the topic of the conference. Max. 4 pages, must be submitted to Track 8 (Doctoral Colloquium).
Poster papers: papers that present new ideas and initiatives with potential to contribute to Digital Government research and practice. Authors of accepted poster papers are subsequently required to create an actual poster (A1 size), which will be printed and displayed at the conference venue. Instructions and guidelines for the creation of the poster will be sent separately and only to the authors of accepted poster papers. Max. 2 pages, must be submitted to Track 9 (Poster Exhbition).
Topics of submission
ICEGOV2019 invites submissions of original papers, not published or considered for publication elsewhere, that contribute to the conference theme: Exploring Digital Government Synergies to Foster Equality, Inclusiveness, and Productivity. To prepare and submit your paper, download the package provided HERE and follow the instructions there carefully. Papers can be submitted to one of the following tracks:
Track 1: Digital Transformation of Public Services and Governments
Digital transformation focuses on the use of digital technologies to improve access to government information previously held in physical formats; to modernise and provide digital access to public services provided to citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders; to automate internal operations of government organizations; and to improve productivity through the benefits of electronic governance. This track is dedicated to the research that study digital transformation for internal processes, structures, and working practices of the government organizations, at every level, to benefit citizens and businesses.
Track 2: Open Government and Digital Citizenship: Participation, Engagement, and Empowerment
Open government and digital citizenship refer to participation in the effective use of digital technologies and the Internet to engage with and empower citizens and businesses. This track explores the data openness paradigm enabled by technological developments and the Open Government Data movement, which argue that, if properly “opened” and reused, government data provides great opportunities to promote civic participation and engagement.
Track 3: Digital Inclusiveness, Equality, and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
The rapidly evolving digital culture is characterized by greater inclusion and participation of the public in social and political processes. This track explores sustainability, inclusion, and equality policies and programs by governments around the world that promote the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Track 4: Smart Governance for Smart Cities, Communities, and Regions
The growth of smart initiatives creates the need for more robust governance frameworks for both horizontal coordination across policy sectors and vertical coordination across governance levels. This track explores the opportunities, challenges, and implications of smart initiatives across cities, communities, and regions.
Track 5: Emerging Technologies, Information Security, Privacy, and Ethics
Emerging technologies provide new and relevant avenues for e-Government delivery and participation. Blockchain, big data, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are some of the new technologies that provide a platform for innovative solutions that tackle key challenges. This track is meant to explore such technologies and how they deal with information security issues, privacy, and ethics.
Track 6: Bridging Digital Government Research and Policy
This track examines the emerging visions for e-Government in research and practice, the technologies required to implement them, the regulatory frameworks and approaches that can be taken to accelerate innovation, productivity improvements and the transition from pilots to fully operational e-Government solutions.
Track 7: e-Governance in the Asia-Pacific Region
The adoption and proliferation of digital government policies and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region is diverse. This track explores the unique opportunities and challenges associated with the governments and organizations in this region, including unique opportunities for collaboration, challenges for Pacific nations, standardizing EGOV, and motivation for EGOV initiatives.
Track 8: Doctoral Colloquium
Presentation of students’ work at the Doctoral Colloquium aims at providing feedback from academic experts and building the students’ peer-to-peer and professional networks. Submissions to the Doctoral Colloquium are welcome from doctoral students who would like to present their research work on any topic related to the conference theme. Submissions should explain the research problem, the motivation, the research questions as well as the research methodology. It should also include the scientific and technical challenges and the respective research results. Although supervisors can coauthor the paper, the doctoral student must be the first author.
Track 9: Poster Exhibition
The conference also welcomes submissions of poster papers to describe ongoing work, including new ideas, initial results, open questions, development plans, etc. with potential to contribute to Digital Government research and practice. Accepted posters will be presented during the Poster Exhibition to stimulate discussion, create research-practice and research-policy connections, provide feedback to the authors, and nourish opportunities for international, multi-disciplinary and crosssectoral collaboration.