CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Proposal Submission Deadline: November 30th, 2012

Revolutionizing the Interaction Between State and
Citizens through Digital Communications

A book edited by Sam Edwards Green Mountain College, USA
and Diogo Santos, Dom Bosco University, Brazil

To be published by IGI Global: http://bit.ly/MIhcX9

Introduction
The relationship between States and their citizens is in constant evolution. Digital communication through the Internet has fundamentally changed how States relate to their citizens. Gone are the days when a government could ignore its citizens and hide its activities. Even the most autocratic governments are not immune from these fundamental changes in society. Although the interactions between the state and citizens have been of concern to both theorists and practitioners of power and government since ancient times, the changes happening today with the ability to access information, organize, and voice opinions is unprecedented. Existing theories have to be reexamined and changed to address this fundamental shift in information.

Just a few years ago it would have been inconceivable for a political uprising to be organized as easily as it was during the Arab Spring. Comparing the governments' responses to the uprisings in the Arab Spring and Tiananmen Square demonstrates how digital communications have changed the landscape. Wikileaks and the I Am 132 Movement in Mexico are prime examples of how governments and traditional political parties no longer have complete control. With the ease of communication comes the ability to organize groups and to access information. This ability to organize groups and access information has changed the power balance between governments and citizens. Existing theories need to be recast in light of this fundamental change.

Objective of the Book
The primary objective is to provide a theoretical update to the theories of how states and citizens interact. The ability to communicate, access information, and organize have fundamentally altered this relationship. Governments, regardless of their level of development or recognition of individual rights, must reform their policies in light of the digital revolution.

The mission is to provide a comprehensive reevaluation of the relationship between various governments and their citizens. By providing case studies from highly developed to least developed nations we will provide a basis for comparison of this shift ongoing in societies. The final section will provide analysis of these changes and provide information on what to expect in the future.

Target Audience
This book would be appropriate as a reference book for legal professionals, activists, and government employees. It links both the technical world of digital communications with political science. Since the book will have case studies from a wide range of countries it will help provide comparative information on how various countries and citizens interact in the digital age.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Case studies on specific countries focusing on how the digital revolution is changing the
  relationship between governments and citizens
• Transparency, regime legitimacy and the new information technologies
• Organizing political movements through social media channels
• Increasing civil society through communication
• The digital right to assemble
• Increased government efficiency
• Affect of digital communications on government corruption
• Access to information
• Direct democracy
• Changes to journalism
• WikiLeaks and hacking democracy
• The Arab Spring and organization of political movements through social media

Submission Procedure
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before November 30th, 2012, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by December 15th, 2012 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by January 31st, 2013 All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This book is anticipated to be released in 2013.

Important Dates
November 30th, 2012: Proposal Submission Deadline
December 15th, 2012: Notification of Acceptance
January 31st, 2013: Full Chapter Submission
February 15th, 2013: Review Results Returned
March 8th, 2013: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries and submissions should be forwarded electronically (Openoffice or Word formats) to:

Sam Edwards, J.D., LL.M.
Associate Professor of Environmental Law and Policy
Green Mountain College
Poultney, VT 05701
United States
Tel.: +1 (802) 287-8386
E-mail: edwardss@greenmtn.edu