Submission Deadline: 30-Dec-2020
Journal: Social Sciences
Special Issue Title: Enabling (im)migrants integration through ICT innovation solutions: Challenges, Opportunities, Pitfalls and Obstacles
Abstract submission: 1000 words including background, conceptual framework, methods, findings, and significance

Please submit your abstract and any questions to the special issue guest editor, Dr. Maryam Karimi (Maryam.karimi@polimi.it).
Notification of selected authors: January 15, 2021
Deadline for manuscript submission: June 30, 2021

Background

This call for papers is issued in the context of easyRights project, which is funded by the EU through the Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020) and involves partners from Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the UK. The project’s main objective is to combine co-creation and AI technology to facilitate understanding and access of non-EU immigrants to services they are entitled to. Its activities include the organization of 2 hackathons (2020-2021 and 2021-2022) in each of the 4 pilot sites of Birmingham (UK), Larissa (EL), Malaga (ES), and Palermo (IT), to procure the development of original and innovative IT applications in line with the technical features of the easyRights platform and to improve the local public administration services.

Special Issue Introduction

For many European countries, the integration of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers constitute a serious challenge, but there is also a unique opportunity to transform. Still, there are significant inequalities and discrimination in place. ICT developments and services digitization may help integrate these (im)migrants that find it hard to adapt and have access to services they need in the host countries due to their differences. Therefore, the area of ICT has a tremendous opportunity to drive the (im)migrants’ integration. This can happen by developing solutions to ease their access to the existing social systems and public welfare.

Social Science seeks to develop better links between theoretical and empirical research and policy practice related to (im)migrants integration through ICT solutions. This special issue welcomes both theoretical or methodological articles and empirical research-based contributions that cast light on the if, to what extent and under which conditions ICT solutions enable (im)migrants to better access and use services and/or increase their wellbeing and discuss how ICT innovations may open up for social science, urban research, and urban policy, especially in Europe. Articles can be country-based or have a comparative approach. In this regard, we invite research papers from both academic and practitioner communities in the following three thematic areas.

Specific topics may include as follows (but not limited to):

(Im)migrants’ Integration through the use of technology

• IT-supported integration services: theoretical and/or methodological issues
• IT-supported integration services: experiences, case studies
• Facilitating (im)migrant’s access to integration services
• Learning by doing in ICT (im)migrants’ integration solutions
• AI and language multicultural mediation
• ICT based policy making

Engaging (im)migrants in the co-creation of IT solutions towards integration

• Co-design as an integration strategy
• Co-designing IT-based integration services with (im)migrants: case studies
• (Im)migrants digital communities and their interplay with the services ecosystem

ICT to explore integration pitfalls, obstacles, and opportunities

• Data-driven policy-making for (im)migrants
• Mapping integration pitfalls, obstacles, and opportunities through open and big data
• Exploring existing ICT policies for (im)migrants integration

See the full call here!