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Dear colleagues,

Please consider submitting an abstract for the following special issue:


Call for Articles: Special Issue on Refugees and Digital Work





Aimed at: Development and Change


Digital transformations are currently reshaping labour markets and employme=
nt opportunities around the world. Some suggest that online work platforms =
and the so-called =91gig economy=92 are now planetary in scope, promising a=
ccess to work for anyone with an internet connection and some skills. Howev=
er, to what extent does that hold true for the world=92s refugees?


Parallel to this spread of digital opportunities, refugee self-reliance has=
now become one of the leading mantras in global refugee governance and int=
ernational development. A plethora of programmes and initiatives have there=
fore tapped into a pool of digital opportunities for livelihood provision a=
nd skills training among displaced persons and host communities. However, t=
heir scope, methods, and outcomes remain underexplored in both academia and=
policy.


This special issue will explore the diverse implications of this transforma=
tion on refugees, who often face severe restrictions to economic activity, =
financial inclusion, and a limited right to work. Particular consideration =
will be given to critical contributions that are rooted in empirical resear=
ch and offer insights linking important debates in the international develo=
pment literature on refugee economies, livelihoods, and digital work.


Articles might address one of the following questions: What do particular c=
ase studies tell us about the unique relationship between forced displaceme=
nt and digital economies? How does the inclusion of refugees, and a perspec=
tive grounded in their experience, change established views on digital econ=
omies and the future of decent work? How do digital economies reshape the r=
ole of work within increasingly prolonged conditions of forced displacement=
? What are the risks and opportunities of digital work for refugees?

Other themes articles might address may include the following:

* Digital refugee livelihoods and the decent work agenda
* Digital skills training or remote job-mentoring
* Freelancing and online entrepreneurialism
* Working conditions and social protection
* Informal means of digital work (e.g. social media platforms)
* Refugees=92 involvement in the informal or illicit digital economy
* Gender dimensions of digital work
* Barriers to digital access and/or financial inclusion
* The interaction between host country legal and social environments an=
d digital economies

These questions and issues are for guidance only and should not be consider=
ed exclusive of other important themes.


Deadlines



If you are interested in contributing to this issue, please submit the foll=
owing to the issue editors by Friday, January 10, 2020:



* A 500-750 word abstract including main research question, details on =
the empirical research, theoretical contribution, research methods, main fi=
ndings, and conclusions
* Author CV





Tentative deadline for full-length articles: May 2020





Special issue editors:



Dr Andreas Hackl, Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh

Andreas.hackl@ed.ac.uk



Dr Evan Easton-Calabria, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford

Evan.easton-calabria@qeh.ox.ac.uk




----------------------
Dr Andreas Hackl
Lecturer, Social Anthropology
School of Social and Political Science
University of Edinburgh, UK


The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, w=
ith registration number SC005336.