[liberationtech] CfP: Special Issue Call on Digital Campaigning (Journal of Information Technology & Politics)

[Yosem Companys]

Call for Papers

Journal of Information Technology and Politics

"Chasing the Digital Wave: International Perspectives on the Growth of
Online Campaigning"

Guest editors:
Rachel Gibson (University of Manchester, UK)
Andy Williamson (Future Digital)
Andrea Römmele (Hertie School of Governance, Germany)

Although web campaigning has been a part of the electoral landscape in
a number of nations for up to two decades, we still remain relatively
uninformed about its drivers and effects on political parties and
voters. Part of this lack of certainty is due to the fast changing
nature of the medium itself and the pace of technological innovation
that political actors face. In this series of papers, we seek to
advance current knowledge about the causes, contents, and consequences
of web campaigning for individuals, organizations, and political
systems writ large by reflecting on the uptake, maturity, and efficacy
of Internet campaigning in elections around the world. How widely is
it used beyond the national level in state and regional elections? Do
candidates see it as a ‘must have’ technology, crucial to their
success? Or is it the tool of the ‘weak’ and those who lack more
professional campaign weaponry? And finally, how much attention are
voters paying to these efforts?

As well as updating our understanding about campaigns and elections in
the digital era, the special issue has a wider agenda that speaks to
ongoing trends in political environments and particularly the health
of advanced industrial democracies. A general election is a unique
moment of national political activity: It spurs parties and candidates
to innovate and capture voter attention. Parties and politicians
appear to be struggling worldwide to generate confidence and trust
from their electorates. Considerable attention has been given by
academics and those in the media to the capacity of the Internet to
arrest some of the democratic fissures that are emerging within
society. As citizens expand their use of the medium for political
purposes, the time is ripe for a review of global practices in
ecampaigns. Is the technology injecting a new participatory element
into campaigning and thereby mobilizing new supporters and voters into
the political process? Does use by parties’ grassroots challenge the
dominance of professional elites? And are smaller parties able to
strengthen their voice through cheaper and highly popular social media
tools?

Articles should be no more than 8,000 words, including references, and
should be officially submitted through the journal’s manuscript
submission system (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/witp). All
manuscripts should follow APA, 6th Edition formatting guidelines.

The deadline for submission is June 30th, 2013.

Please contact the journal with any questions.