IPID News: July (1) 2009
From IPID
Dear IPID Members, enjoy this latest issue of IPID News! If you have any ICT4D-related news, please send an e-mail to gudrun.wicander@kau.se
[edit] NEWS
[edit] News from Gapminder
- How to measure human rights and democracy
Some dimensions of human development are difficult to measure in numbers. In a new video on Gapminder's website, Hans Rosling discusses Human Rights and Democracy from a statistical point of view. He finds the link between democracy and socio- economic development surprisingly week and points out that democracy and human rights maybe should be regarded as values in themselves, rather than means to achieve something else.
http://www.gapminder.org/videos/human-rights-democracy-statistics/
[edit] News from the World Bank
- eBooks and Affordable Access to Digital Content for Teachers, Health Care Workers and Agricultural Extension Agents in Southern Africa: Lessons from the IADP Affordable Access - Initiative Partnership with African Universities
Key questions: • Is low cost computing a feasible solution to some of the information needs in Southern Africa?
• How can (expensive) digital content from textbook providers in OECD countries be made available to various low income groups in Southern Africa, working with universities, and what are the related issues?
• What is the on-the-ground reality about various high-profile low-cost laptop and eBook products being marketed to developing countries, based on testing and pilots in Southern Africa?
The central objective of the Affordable Access Program of the International Association of Digital Publications (IADP) is to improve the training and effectiveness of people who work, or intend to work, in support of poor communities, including agricultural extension officers, in-service teachers, nurses, social workers, and doctors who practice telemedicine. The immediate beneficiaries are the students themselves, while the ultimate beneficiaries will be the farmers, school children, patients and families whom they serve.
The work program specifically aims to facilitate the collaborative development and use of open access e-learning courseware at selected universities, and to provide affordable access to digital publications. It also supports the procurement and configuration of low-cost computers and e-book readers, including the design and deployment of systems to ensure ease of use and compatibility.
This program was recently evaluated by the British Council; results of this evaluation will be shared and discussed, and future directions will be shared.
The initial participating universities are the University of Fort Hare (UFH), the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN), and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The University of South Africa (UNISA) recently joined the Program and the IADP has commenced discussions with the Universities of Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia, with a view to including one or more of them this year.
IADP web site: http://www.iadpnet.org/
[edit] News from Grameen
- Grameen Foundation Launches Mobile Services Tailored to the Poor With Google and MTN Uganda
Grameen Foundation announced the launch of a suite of mobile phone applications developed with Google and MTN Uganda (MTN) that deliver services and information that were previously unavailable to Uganda’s poor and disadvantaged communities.
See AppLab in Action <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaMe0Nj6zM>
This launch makes available the first suite of applications resulting from an endeavor initiated by Grameen Foundation 18 months ago called the Application Laboratory (AppLab). The five mobile phone applications provide real-time health and agricultural information and a virtual marketplace for buying and selling goods and services. This field-based program in Uganda is based on an innovative partnership that strategically combines the resources and experience of Grameen Foundation, Google, and MTN.
The suite of five mobile services, provided using Google SMS search technology and the MTN network, includes Farmer’s Friend, a searchable database with both agricultural advice and targeted weather forecasts; Health Tips which provides sexual and reproductive health information, paired with Clinic Finder, which helps locate nearby health clinics and their services; and Google Trader, which matches buyers and sellers of agricultural produce and commodities as well as other products. The services are SMS-based and designed to work with basic mobile phones to reach the broadest possible audience. Users can access the services quickly and privately at the time of their choosing and search relevant content on-demand, like someone with access to the Internet.
AppLab Uganda, which is located in Kampala and directed by Grameen Foundation’s Technology Center, focuses on creating opportunities for poor people to share and access essential information through innovative uses of mobile phones which are in the hands of over four billion people around the world. The new services in Uganda can be accessed by existing Village Phone Operators (VPOs) who extend service to people without mobile phones as well as by people who have their own phones. VPOs and other trusted intermediaries serve as a bridge between communities who lack access to essential information and the sources that can provide it. Building on the pioneering work of Grameen Telecom in Bangladesh, Grameen Foundation and MTN Uganda launched Village Phone in Uganda in 2004 to expand telecommunications access to poor people.
“AppLab is a great example of innovation from and for the base of the pyramid, bringing relevant, actionable information to communities where access to the Internet is unavailable,” said Alex Counts, president of Grameen Foundation. “Through an approach including sector research, field-based rapid prototyping, extensive interaction with target users, and carefully structured field pilots, we have been able to gain deep insights from the people who benefit directly from using these applications. We are excited to take the next big step – going from an innovative product development approach to scaling proven and sustainable applications across Uganda for the benefit of the poor and poorest.”
The information in the applications was developed in collaboration with key local partners. The Busoga Rural Open Source Development Initiative (BRODSI) provides locally-relevant and actionable agricultural information created and tested by small-holder farmers and designed to meet their needs. For the health application, AppLab works with Marie Stopes Uganda, the local affiliate of a leading service provider for sexual and reproductive health, and Straight Talk Foundation, a Ugandan NGO which specializes in health communication. Using the Google Trader application, local buyers and sellers, such as small-holder farmers, are able to broaden their trading networks and reduce their transaction costs. AppLab worked with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, TechnoServe and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation to hone the concept with banana farmers and traders in southwestern Uganda. “These sustainable and scalable models put critical information and knowledge directly into the hands of poor people who have access to mobile devices, in an effort to further alleviate poverty,” said Joseph Mucheru, Google’s lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. “This work is significant both for individuals and for the broader regional economy.”
”These services represent the first of what will be many initiatives reaching the segment of our market that has been underserved for a long time,” said Noel Meier, CEO, MTN Uganda. “We are hoping to reach people in rural and disadvantaged communities while we build up a new line of business for the company.”
With the nationwide launch, Innovations for Poverty Action, with the support of Google.org and AppLab, will also conduct a social assessment to determine the effectiveness of the Health Tips service in changing the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of users.
Looking ahead, the Grameen Foundation Application Laboratory will continue to develop applications and related services tailored to the needs of poor communities. It will work on a project basis with technology partners such as Google, mobile operators such as MTN, NGOs, foundations and government entities to develop new applications and innovative services for the poor in Uganda and beyond – working to transform lives through innovation in information access. About Grameen Foundation
Grameen Foundation, a global nonprofit organization, helps the world’s poorest people access financial services and technology solutions by providing financing, technology support and management strategies to the local organizations that serve them. It also spearheads technology initiatives that create new microbusiness opportunities for the poor, provide telecommunications access for the world's rural poor, and improve their access to health and agriculture information and other services. Founded in 1997, Grameen Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington. Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, is a founding member of its board of directors and served on the board for 12 years Since April 2009, he has served as Grameen Foundation’s first Director emeritus. For more information, please visit www.grameenfoundation.org <http://www.grameenfoundation.org/> .
[edit] News from TIER
(Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions)
In many parts of the world, the power grid is shoddy, computers are scarce, and connectivity is even rarer. Thus, as with many other modern practices and technologies, populations are increasingly bifurcated into the "computing haves" and the "computing have-nots." But many are addressing the divide. SolarNetOne is a turnkey Internet hotspot—power, computers, and satellite uplink—you can install virtually anywhere, for less than the cost of a subcompact car.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-solarnetone/
[edit] JOURNALS
[edit] International Journal of Software Science and Computational Intelligence (IJSSCI)
Volume 1, Issue 2, April-July 2009
www.igi-global.com/ijssci
[edit] Knowledge Management & E-Learning: An International Journal (KM&EL)
Vol.1, No.2,
Special issue "Applied Knowledge Management in an Institutional Context".
http://www.kmel-journal.org/ojs/index.php/online-publication
[edit] International Journal of Global Management Studies (IJGMS)
April-June 2009 Issue of IJGMS
[edit] International Journal of Global Management Studies Quarterly (IJGMSQ)
April-June 2009 Issue of IJGMSQ
[edit] International Journal of Open Source Software & Processes (IJOSSP)
Volume 1, Issue 2, April-June 2009
www.igi-global.com/ijossp
[edit] The Findings
http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-874
[edit] Culture Unbound
Volume 1, 2009
http://www.cultureunbound.ep.liu.se/index.html
Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research is a new, refereed, open-access e-journal that seeks to be a forum for contemporary cultural research from a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas.
[edit] CALL FOR ARTICLES
[edit] Distance Education
Special edition Mobile Learning Distance Education, the leading scholarly journal in the fields of distance, open and flexible learning. This edition seeks to provide a platform for work and thought that exposes and examines the role of ML in addressing issues of distance, infrastructure, service delivery, the separation of learners from their teachers and educational organisation in distance education. Articles are sought from researchers, developers, practitioners and activists in the field of mobile learning.
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/carfax/01587919.html
[edit] Learning Earning Technology Newsletter
Learning Technology Newsletter aims at publishing and disseminating current research about new and emerging learning technologies as well as their design, usage, application, and evaluation in different contexts of technology enhanced learning. This issue will focus on science education, showing how technology can help in teaching and learning about science.
Please feel free to bring forward your ideas and views.
Learning Technology Newsletter invites short articles, case studies, and project reports for July issue. This issue will be published in Volume 11, Issue 3 (July, 2009).
http://www.ieeetclt.org/content/newsletter
[edit] BOOKS
[edit] Grid Technology for Maximizing Collaborative Decision Management and Support: Advancing Effective Virtual Organizations
http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=34273
http://www.beds.ac.uk/departments/computing/staff/nik-bessis/chapter-call
[edit] Global Crisis Reporting: Journalism in the Global Age
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jomec/resources/globalcrisisreporting.pdf
[edit] CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTERS
[edit] Poverty and the Media
An author or editor for a new volume on Poverty and the Media in the Global Crises and the Media series
www.cardiff.ac.uk/jomec/
[edit] CONFERENCES
[edit] 2nd Annual Workshop - ICT IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
Pre-ICIS Meeting
Association for Information Systems
Special Interest Group for ICT in Global Development (SIG GlobDev)
Date: 14 December 2009
Place: J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort, Phoenix, Arizona
Submission of papers: 24 July 2009
Information: http://www.globdev.org
WORKSHOP GENERAL CHAIRS
Muhammadou Kah, University of The Gambia Edward A. Stohr, Stevens Institute of Technology
PROGRAM CHAIR
Sajda Qureshi, University of Omaha
DESCRIPTION
Following on our very successful workshop in Paris last year, the 2nd SIG GlobDev Annual Workshop will again provide a forum for discussion of practical experience and research related to the diffusion and use and of information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing regions of the world. We invite research papers, panel session proposals, and field studies that can inform theory and provide guidelines to field workers in developing economies. Application areas of interest include but are not limited to:
1. Social, political and legal frameworks for fostering ICT diffusion in developing regions
2. Networks and computer applications for eGovernment and eBusiness
3. Methods for measuring the benefits and costs of projects involving the adoption of ICT
4. The role of human and social capital in effective access and use of ICTs
5. Critical and theoretical perspectives on the digital divide and social inclusion
6. Scalable and economic ICT infrastructures
7. Educational systems; content provision and delivery; developing ICT skills
8. Policies related to intellectual capital; open access and the intellectual commons
9. ICT to support Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)
10. Technological entrepreneurship as a path to prosperity FAST-TRACKING TO JOURNALS
Authors of selected workshop papers will be invited to submit their papers for possible inclusion in a special issue of Information Technology for Development (ITD)
IMPORTANT DATES
Abstract Deadline (Optional): July 24, 2009
Submission Deadline: September 13, 2009
Notification to Authors: October 18, 2009 Deadline for Final Papers: November 15, 2009 Workshop Date: December 14, 2009
AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
Submitted papers should be limited to 7,000 words or approximately 25 pages in length.
Additional information and instructions for submitting papers and proposals to the workshop can be found at http://www.globdev.org/
SUBMISSIONS
Panel proposals and Paper Submissions should be sent to: Ted Stohr, Stevens Institute of Technology: estohr@stevens.edu Please include "SIG GlobDev Workshop" in the subject header of the email.
[edit] Technology and Disability in the Developing World
Research and Practice Workshop
Date: 2 October 2009
Place: Gates Commons, Paul Allen Center (CSE 691) University of Washington, Seattle
Information: http://change.washington.edu/access/
Disability is defined in physical, social, and rights-based terms. Following significant legal and social activism in several nations, much interest in both academia and industry has been invested in creating tools and frameworks of access for persons with disabilities. However, in several parts of the developing world, accessibility issues continue to face economic and social challenges. This workshop attempts to bring together scholars and practitioners working in the area of technology and disability in the developing world to discuss recent developments and chart possible areas of collaboration in this domain.
For further details, and to participate, please contact Joyojeet Pal (joyojeet@washington.edu <mailto:joyojeet@washington.edu> )
[edit] ICTs and Development: An International Workshop for Theory, Practice, & Policy
Date: 11-12 March 2010
Place: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi
Submission of papers: 1 October 2009
Information: http://www.iitd.ac.in/events/ICTD2010/
Sponsored by International Development Research Centre, Canada
The workshop aims to provide a forum for scholars to share their empirical research with academic experts, policymakers, and activists from the regional and international development community. Papers should examine how mobile phones, computers, and the Internet influence the empowerment of marginal individuals and communities, including whether ICTs create and enhance livelihood opportunities for people in the developing world. No more than twelve papers will be selected by the workshop organizers for presentation. The first author of each paper chosen will be given air fare and lodging/meals. The workshop is part of the project, ICTs and Urban Micro Enterprises: Identifying and Maximizing Opportunities for Economic Development, and is supported by the International Development Research Centre, Canada. The organizers are committed to finding an appropriate publication venue for all papers accepted for the workshop.
For submission of manuscripts and other enquiries, please write to ICTD2010@gmail.com
[edit] The second SANORD International Conference on 'Inclusion and Exclusion in Higher Education'
Date: 7-9 December 2009
Place: Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
Information: www.ru.ac.za/conference/sanord
[edit] 14th International Conference on Information Quality (ICIQ)
Date: 7 – 8 November 2009
Place: Potsdam, Germany
Submission of papers: 13 July 2009
Information: www.iciq2009.org
[edit] CollaborateCom 2009 - The 5th International Conference on Collaborative Computing:
Networking, Applications and Worksharing
Date: 11-14 November 2009
Place: Crystal City, Washington D.C., USA
Information: http://www.CollaborateCom.org
[edit] DIGIT 2009 - SIGADIT
Special Interest Group on Adoption and Diffusion of Information Technology
Date: 15 December 2009
Place: Phoenix, Arizona
Submission of papers: 11 September 2009
Information: http://www.sigadit.org
The Special Interest Group on the Adoption and Diffusion of Information Technology will again host a pre-ICIS workshop for people interested in information technology adoption and diffusion (DIGIT). The theme this year is Adoption and Diffusion Research: What Matters Next?
Up to 3 doctoral student authors will receive a full scholarship to cover their DIGIT 2009 workshop fee. Depending upon remaining funds, full or partial scholarships will be offered to all other doctoral students who submit papers for workshop consideration. There may also be funds available to assist doctoral students who did not submit a paper, but are interested in attending the DIGIT workshop. Please contact Anand Jeyaraj(anand.jeyaraj@wright.edu) for additional information.
[edit] 5th IEEE WORKSHOP ON BROADBAND WIRELESS ACCESS co-located with IEEE GLOBECOM 2009
Date: 30 November 2009
Place: Hilton Hawaiian Village, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Submission of papers: 19 July 2009
Information: http://www.bwaws.org/GLOBECOM2009/
[edit] INTERNSHIPS
[edit] 19 internships at Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is providing around nineteen internships designed to provide exposure to research for international development through a program of training in research management and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC program staff. The internship is designed to provide hands-on learning experiences in research program management - in the creation, dissemination and utilization of knowledge from an international perspective
For more information, see http://www.research4development.info/news.asp?ArticleID=50445
[edit] OPEN POSITIONS
[edit] 2 research positions in Distributed Computing - University of Groningen, NL
The DS group offers vacancies for two Ph.D. candidates. Applications should be sent by August 1st, 2009. The positions will remain open until suitable candidates are found.
[edit] SCHOLARSHIPS
[edit] PhD Scholarships on Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa
The Danish-East African research project, “People Speaking Back? Media, Empowerment and Democracy in East Africa (MEDI/e/A), funded by the Danish Development Agency (Danida), offers two full-time PhD scholarships (36 months) starting on January 1st 2010, using ethnographic perspectives. One will be registered as a PhD student at University of Nairobi, the other at University of Dar es Salaam. Funding follow provisions of Kenya and Tanzania universities.
About MEDIeA
The overall objective of MEDI/e/A is to explore the role civil society driven media and communication technologies potentially can have in enhancing participatory governance processes in East Africa, more specifically in Kenya and Tanzania. The core inquiry of MEDI/e/A grows from a concern about how young people are secured a role in both the local, national and regional development processes. The research project’s analytical challenge is to understand the ways and means in which youth as ordinary citizens engage with such civil society driven media and communication platforms and what socio-cultural and policy related outcomes this may have.
MEDIeA comprises of a team of 4 researchers in addition to the two PhD students that are about to be contracted. In Kenya, the team consists of Associate Professor Norbert Wildermuth from University of Southern Denmark and Associate Research Professor Winnie Mitullah from University of Nairobi. In Tanzania, the team consists of Professor and Principal Investigator of MEDIeA, Thomas Tufte and Assistant Professor Datius Rweyemanu.
In addition to empirical research, the MEDI/e/A project comprises of components of dissemination, capacity building and policy dialogue. The research program is hosted by /ØRECOMM – Consortium for Communication and Glocal Change /at Department of Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University, Denmark.
Objectives of the PhD
It is the general objective of the announced PhD scholarships to strengthen the overall research efforts of MEDI/e/A in Kenya and Tanzania. The PhD students are expected to provide community based research which uncovers the synergies and communication relations between everyday life, media use, citizen engagement in social and political processes.
The announced PhD projects can be specified as follows:
Kenya: Communication, e-participation and digital inclusion: a media ethnographic study. See detailed description on http://orecomm.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/phd-projectdescriptions- mediea-2009.pdf> http://orecomm.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/phd-projectdescriptions-mediea-2009.pdf
Tanzania: Media use, citizenship and participatory governance: a media ethnographic study in Tanzania_ See detailed description on http://orecomm.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/phd-projectdescriptions- mediea-2009.pdf> http://orecomm.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/phd-projectdescriptions-mediea-2009.pdf
Who can apply?
We invite applications from students with an MA in social sciences or humanities and with experience in qualitative empirical research, preferably in the field of qualitative reception studies, media ethnigraphy and/or participatory communication studies. Applicants should be prepared to work extended periods in the ‘field’, in close and prolonged cooperation with the non-governmental and community-based organisations selected as case studies by the MEDI/e/A team of senior researchers. Applicants must be able to communicate in the relevant vernacular language, besides English, as well as demonstrate the necessary ‘social’ abilities to do research based on a participant observation approach. Finally, it would be beneficial if applicants also have experience with survey-based, quantitative research designs or equivalent qualifications.
Application procedure
Deadline: 10 August 2009
Please submit:
1. A research proposal of up to five pages
2. A curriculum vitae including list of publications
3. A writing sample/publication of 5-10.000 words
4. Official transcripts of undergraduate degree and Master’s degree
5. Reference letters (optional)
Applications have to be based on the full advertisement of the specific PhD scholarship you are applying. As the descriptions both for the Kenya and Tanzania scholarship are already quite elaborate, the applicants are expected to provide their own theoretical-methodological reflection based on the initial outline as well as suggesting and justifying a research design for the actual study.
The selection will be based on both the relevant experience of the applicant and quality research proposal.
Successful candidates selected for interviews will be announced on 20 August 2009. Interviews will be conducted on 24 and 25 August at the University of Nairobi and on 1 and 2 September at University of Dar-es-Salaam. Final selection will be announced by 10 September.
Please send your application including appendices in one single pdf file to Kirsten Høffding mailto:hoffding@ruc.dk at Roskilde University. Should you have questions regarding the content of the proposal, please contact the following:
For the Kenya scholarship: Norbert Wildermuth mailto:Wildermuth@litcul.sdu.dk and Winnie Mitullah mailto:wvmitullah@swiftkenya.com
For the Tanzania scholarship: Thomas Tufte mailto:ttufte@ruc.dk (offline 3-26 July) and Datius Rweyemanu mailto:datiusr@yahoo.com.
Thomas Tufte, Professor
Bldg 42-3, Roskilde University, POB 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
Tel: (+45) 46743204 Fax: (+45) 46743075
Email: mailto:ttufte@ruc.dk>ttufte@ruc.dk http://www.ruc.dk/komm/Ansatte/vip/ttufte/
Principal Investigator of MEDIeA 2009-2012 (Media Empowerment & Democracy in East Africa). Further info at: Ørecomm, Consortium for Communication & Glocal Change http://orecomm.net
[edit] AfriNIC is offering five fellowships
AfriNIC-11 which will take place 21-27 November 2009, Dakar, Senegal. The fellowship is reserved for individuals representing small organizations, universities, and journalists who are actively involved in Internet development in the African Region or ICT Policy in their countries and respective communities, who can positively and actively contribute to IP address management awareness in the AfriNIC region of service.
Upon selection of the fellows, AfriNIC will notify the selected fellows directly and allow the fellow 7 days to reply with an acceptance of the fellowship. Public announcement of the fellowship winners will be made after the acceptance by the winners. Please find hereafter the schedule for the fellowship process:
14 August 2009 : Last Call for fellowship applications
21 August 2009: Selection of fellows
28 August 2009: Notification to fellows
04 September 2009 : Acceptance of fellowship
11 September 2009 : Announcement of winners
The fellowship includes: assistance with round-trip airfare to the meeting venue, hotel accommodates for the AfriNIC event, from the night before the beginning of the event to the last day of the event.
If you think you meet the criteria above, please complete the questions annexed in this email and then submit to fellowship@afrinic.net along with your personal detail information before 14 August 2009.
[edit] RESEARCH PROPOSALS
[edit] Call for Proposals for Research 2009
The Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine is soliciting proposals for original scholarly research on the use of money as a means of saving, storing, and transferring value among the world’s poorest people. By money, we include both traditional and nationally-issued money and technologically-mediated instruments and systems, as well as systems based on personal relationships and social networks. Examples of the range of media we are including under the rubric of money are: livestock, land, gifts of labor, jewelry and other valuables, cash, coin, checks, cards, mobile phones or other electronic devices, and rotating savings and credit associations or similar arrangements.
Research proposals are especially welcomed that focus on one or more of the following broad topics:
• Savings
o How are established institutions and new organizations promoting innovative savings models for the poorest people in the developing world? How have they devised those models and how are they disseminating them? What successes and setbacks are they experiencing? What do these innovative savings models look like “on the ground,” that is, how are people actually interpreting them and using them (or not using them), and why?
o How might existing or traditional methods of saving and storing wealth be scaled-up to provide savings alternatives for more people in a manner that is safe, secure and comprehensible to people who are used to traditional methods?
• Fraud
o What practices exist now among the world’s poorest people to protect against theft, fraud, and other forms of risk? How do the very poor cope with the dangers of handling and holding on to traditional currency objects? Research foci here might include rotating savings and credit associations, storage practices, concealment practices, and long-distance relationships involving transfers of wealth.
• Financial literacy
o Studying financial literacy within the parameters of the relationships or interface between customers and institutions: How much do people understand financial institutions and vice versa? What do institutions do to make themselves available? What is it that is standing between people and institutions that prevents access and usage?
• Social payments
o What objects, relationships, social practices, or intangibles are used to fulfill the basic functions of money as a means of exchange, store of wealth, measure of value, and method of payment? How are these objects, relationships or social practices understood and used among the world’s poorest people?
o What social factors go into the creation and use of value and wealth? How do social payments such as tribute, marriage or death payments affect people’s understanding and use of money, other wealth goods, and relationships? What is the role of sharing and pooling in managing money? And how are new technologies transforming all of these above kinds of payments?
• New Technologies
o What is the impact of new technologies on saving, storing, and transferring wealth? New technologies might include: mobile banking, card-based systems; the sharing of technology; informal means of distributing the kinds of savings, transfers and exchanges that such technology makes possible; the adoption of new money or financial technologies.
The Institute is also interested in proposals for research aimed at impacting the design and implementation of new systems for increasing financial inclusion among the world’s poorest people. We are looking for proposals that have the potential for transformative interventions, new thinking and unexplored possibilities. The Institute seeks proposals from researchers in the developing world associated with an organization or institution such as a university that can accept a transfer of research funds.
Please see http://www.imtfi.uci.edu/imtfi_cfp2009 for the link to proposal details, format, and guidelines.
You may also download the CFP 2009 flyer to post at http://www.imtfi.uci.edu/files/imtfi/docs/CFP%202009%20poster.pdf.
Deadline for submission: October 1, 2009. Decisions will be announced by January 9, 2010.
Proposal submission: Proposals may be emailed, FAXed or mailed via any postal service or courier to:
Institute for Money, Technology, & Financial Inclusion
University of California, Irvine
School of Social Sciences
3151 Social Sciences Plaza
Irvine, CA 92697-5100
tel:(949) 824-2284
fax:(949) 824-2285
Questions may be emailed to imtfi@uci.edu. Telephone inquiries: +1-949-824-2284.
Information on existing awards may be viewed at: http://www.imtfi.uci.edu/imtfi_fundedprojects2009
[edit] AWARDS
[edit] PTC’10 Student Research Paper Prize - The O.S. Braunstein Prize
The prize is sponsored by Yale Braunstein (son of O.S. Braunstein), a prof in the iSchool at Berkeley.
PTC’10 Student Research Paper Prize - The O.S. Braunstein Prize for the best student research paper in telecommunications and ICTs will again be awarded at the PTC'10 Conference, January 17-20, 2010. This award is valued at over $1700, and includes $500 in cash, conference registration, and up to $1,000 for travel and accommodation to attend and present at the PTC'10 Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Papers presented at PTC'10 may also be invited for inclusion in a refereed special issue of Telecommunications Policy.
To be considered for this award and possible publication in Telecommunications Policy, please visit www.ptc.org and click on the PTC'10 "Call for Participation" tab to see potential topic areas. Full paper submissions are due August 3, 2009.
Laura Hosman
Ciriacy-Wantrup Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720
http://nature.berkeley.edu/~hosman
[edit] The winners of the First AIS Information Systems Student Video Competition - "IMIT!"
The committee included:
Dennis Galletta, chair
Beena George
Rudy Hirschheim
Blake Ives
Rick Watson
The winners are listed below and the links to all of the Youtube videos are also listed so you can see the results of their work.
First prize ($1,000):
Juan Reyes of Texas A&M University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kw0RQJZxLA
Title: "Career Enhancement"
Second prize ($500):
Laura Phillips of University of New South Wales.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-4LYoj3WMA
Title: "What is an IT Student?"
Third prize: (Tie, splitting $250):
Benjamin Caudill of Washington State University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvWgBcMlCgE
Title: "Information Systems"
Luis Delgado of Texas A&M University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l-VWqWBZVE
Title:"Join the IT/IS Profession"
Honorable Mention ($50 each): Jonathan Rezadoost of James Madison University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQGWyrfYOIY&feature=related
Title: "IMIT: Are You IT?"
Thomas Wilson of University of Georgia.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTgSjnaL8Y8
Title: "MIS Promotional Video"
Christina Smith of James Madison University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5brGIM1E4aY
Title: I AM IT
Jonathan Chase of James Madison University.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYTqpIeNUJQ
Title: "What is IT?"
[edit] OTHERS
[edit] European Institute for Technology call for evaluators
The European Institute for Technology just launched its first call for evaluators - to register into their database.The call is addressed to individuals for the establishment of a database of independent experts to provide expertise in support of evaluations and of implementation of the EIT and of Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).
The EIT has launched its first call for proposals on 2 April 2009.
The deadline for proposal submission is 17.00, 27 August 2009 (Brussels time). EIT-KICS-2009 call overview
Priority areas:
- Sustainable energy
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Future information and communication society
Links:
http://eit.europa.eu/experts.html
http://eit.europa.eu/kics-call.html
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If you have any ICT4D-related news, please send an e-mail to gudrun.wicander@kau.se
Best wishes, Gudrun Wicander IPID Coordinator
