TRACK 1: Into the Future: Themes, insights and agendas for ICT4D research and practice

Track Chairs:
Niall Hayes, University of Lancaster, UK, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Renata L.La Rovere, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



The focus of this track relates to the overall conference theme, namely papers that address the future of ICT4D in the domains of theory and/or methodology and/or practice.  While we have a wide range of specific tracks for the first time at this conference, this track seeks first to provide a general track for those papers that do not fit easily with any of the specific tracks yet are in the domain of ICT4D, and second to encourage submissions that critically consider the future agenda for ICT4D theory and practice.

We anticipate a wide range of contributions and position papers that seek to identify some interesting areas of future research.  Perhaps when we review the literature of the past there are some recurring themes that signal a central problematic for the area?  Perhaps if we review the research to date we realise that there are some clear gaps that we have not been addressed to date.  Perhaps we consider that the theoretical potions adopted require further development or alternative ideas may provide insights that can help us develop our future thinking?  Perhaps ICT4D research needs to draw upon literatures and debates from broader development studies or other academics domains?  Perhaps there are areas, countries or regions that are insufficiently examined in certain domains.   Perhaps we have some concerns about current methodological underpinnings?

We invite papers that may provide a response to any of these perhaps questions. We welcome empirical, methodological and theoretical developments, or a blend of each.  We recognise that some papers will address the theme of “Into the future” more directly than others.  Thus we expect that for some responses to these questions may fall out of your papers rather than being the specific focus, and thus at a minimum we ask you to provide a final concluding paragraph to our paper that answers the “into the future question.”

For paper format and submission guidelines please refer to the main conference website: For paper format and submission guidelines please refer to the main conference website