Call for Papers
GigaNet 2020 Symposium
2 November (Katowice, Poland)
GigaNet – the Global Internet Governance Academic Network – is now accepting extended abstracts for papers to be presented at its annual symposium. As of now, GigaNet 2020 is planned to be held alongside the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Katowice, Poland. We expect our symposium to take place on “Day 0” of the IGF, which is Monday, 2 November.
Papers on any Internet/data governance-related topic are welcome. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged. There will be the possibility of a focused subset of accepted papers to be fast-tracked for publication in a relevant journal. Welcome topics include, but are not limited to:
The evolution of Internet governance / institutions / norms
• Governance of standards, content, practices, including governance of/by online platforms
• Public/private governance dynamics in Internet policy/technical areas
• Cybersecurity policy and governance
• Digital security and privacy negotiation
• Cryptocurrencies and relations with the Internet infrastructure
• Cross-regional cooperation and initiatives
• Mobilization and social structure(s) in the digital age
• Norm development by states and/or non-state actors
Future-oriented Internet research agenda
• Emerging topics in Internet governance (e.g. public health, emergency preparedness)
• Data governance
• Interdisciplinary perspectives on the governance of new technologies (Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, virtual currencies)
Internet Governance as a field of study
• Narratives, myths and frictions in the construction of the Internet governance field
• Theoretical innovations
• Institutional morphologies and (inter)disciplinary typologies
• Theories and methods applicable to Internet governance research
GigaNet is oriented around the presentation of research papers. The proposed extended abstract should be 800-1500 words long and must describe:
1. Research question(s),
2. Data used,
3. Methodology, and
4. Main (expected) findings of the paper.
Theoretical papers need not specify the data used but must have a clear research question and statement of the specific theories used and literature in which the analysis is situated.
Reviews of individual papers will be double blind. Please do not include names or any other personally identifiable information on the uploaded file. (Be aware, however, that applicants will submit through the Easychair platform. This records their names and contact information: the program committee chair will be able to see that information.)
*We are monitoring closely the evolving COVID-19 situation and hope that the physical meeting in Katowice can go ahead as planned. Should that change due to a prolongation of the pandemic restrictions, we will make arrangements to move the symposium online*
GigaNet encourages emerging scholars to submit their work to the symposium. Proposals should be submitted in English. Participation in the GigaNet symposium is free of charge.
For submission, the extended abstract must be uploaded to the Easychair website (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=giganet2020) by 22 May 2020.
Important dates:
• NEW Extended abstracts submission: 22 May
• Notification to authors of acceptances/rejections: 15 June
• Accepted authors confirm attendance: 10 July
• Full papers due: 15 September
• GigaNet Symposium: 2 November
GigaNet is an international association of academic researchers founded in 2006 to support multidisciplinary research on Internet governance. Its membership includes researchers from all over the world who are contributing to local, national, regional, and international debates on Internet governance. More information on GigaNet’s organizational structures and activities can be found on its website at https://www.giga-net.org.