Internet, Politics, Policy 2010: An Impact Assessment

Thursday 16 - Friday 17 September 2010

Location: Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 1 St Giles Oxford OX1 3JS

Registration: The conference is not yet open for registration.

Speakers

Abstract

Rationale

The Internet is now the most important international medium of communication and information exchange, involving citizens, firms, governments, political parties and NGOs, and bringing with it new practices, norms and structures. The societal shift enabled by the Internet is impacting upon public policy in all sectors, requiring rigorous empirical investigation, theoretical development and methodological innovation across academic disciplines.

In short, the Internet drives social change, requiring a policy response - and policy organizations of all kinds use the Internet to formulate and implement that response. Analysis of these two trends requires taking advantage of the new evidence generated by the Internet and the development of methods from a range of disciplinary perspectives.

Programme

This is the first academic conference to subject the relationship between the Internet, Politics and Policy to multi-disciplinary scrutiny. The conference will be organised in twin tracks:

  • Papers in the Politics track will consider the use of the Internet by political organizations, examining the impact on policy of (for example) online interest group activity and political mobilization, e-voting, political parties and campaigning and e-government.
  • Papers in the Policy track will look at policy responses to Internet-driven social change, including e-health, on-line education, cybercrime, security, privacy and digital inclusion.
  • These two areas are intertwined, so Plenary sessions will merge these tracks, investigating the intersection of policy and politics and the Internet.

Call for Papers

We welcome papers reporting on innovative research into any aspect of the impact of the Internet on public policy and / or politics. We particularly welcome papers that report novel results or methodological approaches, such as advanced analysis of online policy networks, modelling of real-time transactional data or internet-based experiments.

Perspectives from any academic discipline are welcomed, particularly: political science, economics, law, sociology, information science, communications, philosophy, computer science, psychology, management, geography and medicine.

Please submit a 500-word outline in the first instance. All outlines will be peer reviewed and applicants will have the opportunity to co-submit their paper to the journal Policy and Internet, which will operate a fast-track review process for accepted papers.

Deadlines

  • Abstract deadline: 500 words to be submitted by 15 March 2010
  • Decision on abstracts: 15 April 2010
  • Poster deadline: 15 April 2010 (Best Poster Prize: £200)
  • Accepted paper submission deadline: 9 September 2010

All abstracts, papers and correspondence should be sent to: ipp2010@oii.ox.ac.uk

Conference Chairs

About the speakers

  • Professor Patrick Dunleavy

    One of the UK's most important political scientists, and author of books in the field such as 'Theories of the Democratic State' (with J.Dryzek), Patrick Dunleavy's work with the LSE Public Policy Group includes detailed analyses of public sector productivity, citizen redress, policy evaluation, and e-government.

    Further information on Professor Patrick Dunleavy

  • Professor Arthur Lupia

    A leading scholar on voting, civic competence, parliamentary governance and political communication, Arthur Lupia's research has clarified our understanding of how information and institutions affect policy and politics, and how people make decisions when they lack information.

    Further information on Professor Arthur Lupia

  • Professor Viktor Mayer-Schönberger

    A legal scholar specialising in the role of information in a networked economy, Viktor Mayer-Schönberger's most recent book 'Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age' has received major attention worldwide.

    Further information on Professor Viktor Mayer-Schönberger

Partners and sponsors

This conference is convened by the Oxford Internet Institute (University of Oxford) in partnership with the European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR) Internet and Politics Section, the Policy Studies Organization (PSO), and the Journal Policy and Interne