this cross-cutting new venture might be of interest to some of you, please kindly consider submitting and/or attending (for now we're planning to keep this as a face-to-face/at least a hybrid meeting, the format might be adjusted according to local circumstances closer to the date). Distributing the call further among your networks would also be most appreciated. Apologies for any unavoidable cross posting.

Kindest regards,

Joanna Kulesza

6^th International Conference
Data for Policy 2021
Lessons for policy-data interactions after Covid-19

  

14-16 September 2021, UCL, London
 
Call for Papers and Session Proposals 
(Deadline: 25 March 2021)

  

dataforpolicy.org  | @dataforpolicy | cambridge.org/dap | @data_and_policy
 

The Data for Policy conference series is the premier global forum for multiple disciplinary and cross-sector discussions around the theories, applications and implications of data science innovation in governance and the public sector. Its associated journal, Data & Policy, published by Cambridge University Press has quickly established itself as a major venue for publishing research in the field of data-policy interactions. Both the conference and the journal receive valuable support from their sustainer partners: the Alan Turing Institute, the Office for National Statistics and UCL.
 
Convening for the sixth time in September 2021, the International Organisation Committee for the conference invites Paper and Panel Session proposals at the conference to be also considered for potential post-conference publications in Data & Policy (subject to peer-review). We are planning for a physical conference and we hope that presenters will be able to join us in person. We understand that this may be difficult, or even impossible, and we will adapt the conference proceedings accordingly to accommodate virtual presentations where this is necessary.
 
There are six broad, interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral areas of interest, which form the standard tracks of the conference. Following the momentous events of 2020, the International Committee and organisers wish to recognise the additional focus on data throughout the whole of society as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the opportunities this creates for learning about and developing data and policy interactions. This focus should not be seen as limiting, and we welcome submissions across domains, sectors and applications. In addition to the standard tracks, nine Special Tracks have also been shortlisted this year (Special Track 9 added to the original eight on 1st Feb).
 
The standard tracks of the conference are as follows: 

• Data-driven Transformations in Governance & Policy – this standard track focuses on the high-level vision for philosophy, ideation, formulation and implementation of new approaches leading to paradigm shifts, innovation and efficiency gains in collective decision-making processes. Topics may include: 

• From data to decisions: scientific innovation in knowledge generation processes, data-driven insights, evidence-based policy making;
• Applications in public, private and voluntary sector governance and policy-making  (local, national, international)
• Real-time management, future planning, and rethinking/reframing of governance and policy-making in the digital era;
• Government-private sector-citizen interactions: data and digital power dynamics, asymmetry of information;
• Democracy, public opinion and involvement, citizen services, media and digital platforms;
• Interactions between human, institutional and algorithmic decision-making processes; psychology and behaviour of decision-making;
• Socio-technical and cyber-physical systems, and their policy and governance implications.

The remaining categories represent more specifically the current applications, methodologies, strategies which underpin the broad aims of Data for Policy’s vision: 

• Data Technologies & Analytics for Policy & Governance

• Data sources: Personal, proprietary & administrative data, official statistics, open & public data;
• Technologies: GovTech/RegTech, AI, blockchain, IoT, cloud, platforms, visualisation & user interaction;
• Methodologies & Analytics: Theory  & data-driven models, statistics, computational social science,
• Machine Learning, edge analytics,  mixed methods, real-time & historical data processing, geospatial analysis, gaps in theory & practice.

• Policy Frameworks, Governance and Management of Data-driven Innovations – this track focusses on governance practices and management issues involved in implementation of data-driven solutions: 

• Data collection, storage and circulation;
• Data and algorithm design, value assessment;
• Data supply chains, ownership, provenance, sharing, linkage, curation, and expiration;
• Assignment of accountability;
• Governance models and frameworks;
• Data literacy, translation, communication;
• Data intermediaries, trusts, collaboratives;
• Data and algorithms in the law, regulation;
• Meta-data, standards and interoperability.

• Ethics, Equity and Trust in Policy Data Interactions – this track examines the issues which must be considered in technology design and assessment. 

• Digital Ethics: Data, algorithms and interaction models; 
• Privacy, data sharing and consent;
• Digital identification and services;
• Uncertainties, bias, imperfections in data and data-driven systems;
• Algorithmic behaviour: equity and fairness, transparency, explainability, accountability, interpretability and reliability;
• Human control, rights, democratic values and self-determination;
• Responsibility and maliciousness.

The following are areas which fall within the above categories, but are highlighted as being of special interest: 

• Algorithmic Governance:

• Algorithm agency along with human and institutional decision-making processes; black-box processing, data-driven insights;
• Governance automation: citizen service delivery, supporting civil servants, managing national public records and physical infrastructure, statutes and compliance,  public policy development;
• Good governance with/by/of algorithms: participation, consensus orientation, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness and efficiency, equity and inclusiveness, the rule of law. 

• Data to Tackle Global Issues and Dynamic Societal Threats:

• Human existence and the planet;
• International collaboration for global risk management and disaster recovery;
• Global health, emergency response, Covid-19 and pandemics;
• Sustainable development, climate change and the environment;
• Humanitarian data science and international migration;
• Racial justice and gender-based issues;
• International security, organised crime and hostile environments.

The Special Tracks for the conference are as follows: 

1. ‘Showcasing innovative data services from EU Member States - Paving the way towards transparent documentation’ Track Chairs: Seth van Hooland, Emanuele Baldacci, Blanca Martinez De Aragon and Joao Rodrigues Frade read here
2. ‘Governance of the digital transformation of health systems’ Track Chairs: Tugce Schmitt and Mujaheed Shaikh read here
3. ‘Arguments, algorithms and tools: what do we need to shape policy and confront misinformation post-pandemic?’ Track Chairs: Jaron Porciello, Ulrike Hahn and Stephan Lewandowsky read here
4. ‘Ethical Technology Adoption in Public Administration Services’ Track Chairs: Francesco Mureddu, Giovanna Galasso and Francesco Paolo Schiavo read here       
5. ‘AI and public decision-making processes’ Track Chairs: Sarah Giest, Bram Klievink and Alex Ingrams read here
6. ‘Rethinking the open data movement through an intersectional feminist lens’ Track Chairs: Anjali Mehta, Gülsen Güler and Amanda Greene read here       
7. ‘Facilitating Data-Driven Innovation for Sustainability: Policy Frameworks and Measures for Data Governance’ Track Chair: Masaru Yarime read here
8. ‘Towards a data-driven economy: Data Mexico’ Track Chairs: Luis Godoy, Ana Cruz and Fiorentina Garcia read here
9. 'Systematic Engagement: Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and the design challenge of inclusion, sustainability and data ownership' Track Chairs:Ronit Purian and Avi Cohen read here

read hereCONTRIBUTION SUBMISSIONS
Submissions will be accepted in the following categories: 

• Individual Research/Policy/Practitioner Proposals to Standard or Special Tracks in the form of a) full research papers or b) extended abstracts
• Session Proposals 

Individual Research/Policy/Practitioner Proposals to Standard or Special Tracks
a) Full research paper: For the benefit of those authors who wish to submit their paper for consideration in the open-access Data & Policy journal published by Cambridge University Press, we are integrating the review process for the conference into that of the journal; it is intended that the reviews performed for the conference will be considered as part of the journal’s peer review procedure, leading to faster decisions in the journal and the potential of publication ahead of the conference. Authors interested in taking advantage of this integrated process can submit a full paper through the conference’s EasyChair system by the deadline of 25 March 2021.  In order to submit a full paper, authors can use the LaTeX and Word templates available via the Data & Policy Instructions for Authors . Please convert your article to PDF to submit to the conference’s Easy Chair System; if accepted into the Journal we will ask for the source files.
 
Please consider the following points, which are described in more detail in the instructions that are linked to above:  

• Data & Policy has two main categories: Research Articles (presenting novel findings; approx 8,000 words inclusive of references) and Commentaries (an overview of existing knowledge about an issue; approx 4,000 words). In your article, please include a heading that indicates into which category your article falls;
• The journal also requires authors to provide a policy significance statement, a competing interest statement, a funding statement and a data availability statement in their article; 
• The journal encourages authors to make replication data and materials openly available and to link to these in the data availability statement in their article;
• Authors should watermark or otherwise indicate in the full paper that it is ‘under review’.
• The review process is likely to include multiple iterations that extend beyond the timeline of the conference, and publication is subject to reviewer comments being reflected in the final paper.
• Note that conference acceptance does not guarantee publication in Data & Policy. 

b) Extended abstract: The process is essentially unchanged from the 2020 conference. This should be 1,000 words maximum, including a title, research/policy question, research methodology and data used, and key findings. Authors who decide to just submit an extended abstract - in order to present at the conference - will still have the option of submitting to the Journal at a later date if they wish to do so, but will not benefit from the integrated review procedure.   Note also that some Special Track Chairs are intending to guest-edit thematic collections of articles in Data & Policy, so you may be separately contacted by the Chair about the potential of submitting to the Journal. 
 
Session Proposals 
Session proposals should comprise a combination of 3-4 presentations from researchers and/or practitioners, each of whom must provide an abstract (1,000 words maximum). A description of the panel should also be submitted (500 words maximum).
 
Submission Process
Extended abstract submissions should be made via EasyChair, also accessed via the 2021 conference page on the Data for Policy website. Authors are invited to enter their name(s), title and abstract, and keywords. A number of ‘Submission Categories’ are then presented, from which authors can choose the most relevant. The rest of the submission should be attached as a single pdf.
 
Review and Assessment
Full papers will be subject to the usual peer review process for Data & Policy.
 
Extended abstract and session proposal submissions will be assessed according to following criteria: 

• Potential contribution to the debates in the field
• Potential for stimulating debate in the conference
• Freshness of the content, novelty and originality
• Formulation of the research/policy question
• Data and methodology
• Quality of writing and presentation

Post-acceptance of submission for conference presentation (preliminary information)
Extended abstract submissions: authors will be invite to submit a discussion paper to the Data for Policy community profile on the Zenodo platform. Other materials that they wish to share can be included – such as their presentation slides, or any related data sets. Any material submitted to Zenodo is citable, so it can be referenced in any future publications. 
 
Full paper authors will also be encouraged to make their paper and other relevant material available before the conference, using the Data for Policy community on Zenodo. Further details on how to submit will be provided nearer the time. Authors may be required to prepare video presentations in advance of the conference. Further details will be provided nearer the time, if appropriate.
 
General Conference Information
All current information about the conference is available from the 2021 conference page. This information will be regularly updated as plans for the conference progress.
 
Data for Policy 2021 is a fee-paying event and all conference participants, including presenters, will be responsible for arranging their own travel and accommodation. We have limited funding to support student participation; those who wish to be considered for these grants should send a CV and cover letter explaining their case to team@dataforpolicy.org . 
 
Data for Policy is also committed to increasing diversity in its presenter community. We understand that the cost of registration may be a barrier to participation, and are therefore delighted to offer Data for Policy diversity scholarships to suitable candidates from groups which are currently underrepresented in our community, in particular those from developing nations, who will extend our geographic diversity.  Scholarship awards are based on the level of financial need, and the appropriateness of the opportunity afforded to the applicant. To be eligible, applicants must have no other source of funding to meet the cost of registration. Please send a CV and cover letter explaining their case to team@dataforpolicy.org . In both cases, applications should be made after completion of abstract submission. 
All enquiries about the conference should be sent to team@dataforpolicy.org . For questions relating to publication in Data & Policy, please contact dataandpolicy@cambridge.org  
  

Important Dates
Deadline for Special Track proposals	10 December 2020
Call for Papers  – announcement	14 January 2021
Extended abstract and full paper submission deadline	25 March 2021
Notification of acceptance with reviewer comments and invitation to submit revised versions for those accepted	11 June 2021
Registration deadline for presenters	23 July 2021
Submission of revised paper for a second round of review for journal (compulsory); upload of pre-conference material to Zenodo (optional); submission of video (if relevant)	20 August 2021
Public registration deadline	20 August 2021
Conference	14-16 September 2021
Decision on publication of revised paper, and invitation to submit to Data & Policy if accepted, or invitation to second revision	Post-conference

 
Conference Partnership & Sponsorship
Data for Policy conference series is an independent non-for-profit initiative and fully funded by the income raised through conference registrations and partner/sponsor contributions. Organisations interested in our flexible partnership/sponsorship packages should get in touch with our team team@dataforpolicy.org
 
Call for Bids to Host Future Data for Policy Conferences
We welcome bids from academic, government and private sector stakeholders to host future Data for Policy conferences. Consortium bids bringing together a host country’s academic and government stakeholders are encouraged and demonstration of further industry support would also be an advantage. Interested organisations should send a brief Statement of Interest to team@dataforpolicy.org, outlining the partnership model proposed and the commitments offered. Bids will be considered on a rolling basis.