Information systems policy, regulation and impact

Track 20

Track chairs

Roman Beck
Bentley University

Carla Bonina
University of Surrey

Christian Kurtz
University of Hamburg

Track description

This track focuses on Information Systems (IS) policy and invites works from scholars engaged in policy-making and regulation, as well as the implementation and evaluation of policies related to digital technologies within organizational or societal contexts. It emphasizes understanding how IS research can contribute, both directly and indirectly, to policy discourse and decision-making in ways that enhance relevance and real-world impact. This includes to understand how IS research can create policy recommendations for strategic and operational decision-makers in both public and private sectors. In this regard, IS policy research spans a wide range of issues, including security, costs, sustainability, equitable access.

Central to this track is exploring how IS research can contribute to policy and regulation, including the structures and processes that shape the use of digital technologies. This includes foresight approaches that go beyond reacting to upcoming issues (e.g., concerns after high-profile data breaches), aiming to anticipate future policy needs. Research can focus on various levels: individually (e.g., digital rights, algorithmic transparency), organizationally (e.g., data governance, responsible AI adoption), or at the broader societal and institutional level (e.g., digital infrastructure, platform governance). Submissions that explore how these levels intersect (e.g., how organizational policy choices affect individual rights or how macro-level regulation, and policy frameworks shape digital innovation policy) are welcome. Authors can build in their work on empirical cases considering policy-focused partners, such as companies, government bodies, NGOs, regulatory agencies (e.g., data protection authorities), or international organizations (e.g., United Nations), given their practical relevance and potential for real-world impact.

This track directly aligns with the conference theme, “Bridging Digital Borders,” by positioning IS scholars as active contributors to upcoming challenges. By focusing on how IS research can also be valuable for policymakers and intermediaries (e.g., policy analysts, advocacy organizations, or strategic consulting), the track promotes a form of research engagement that is forward-looking and impactful. In doing so, this track supports the conference’s goal to bridge (disciplinary) borders, with a focus on translating rigorous research into impactful policy outcomes.

Types of Papers We Seek

This track welcomes diverse theoretical and empirical approaches, and contributions from interdisciplinary teams. To ensure this track produces work that is visibly distinct from standard IS research, we seek papers that are fundamentally policy-centric rather than theory-centric. Your paper must place policy at the centre of your research design, ensuring that your findings answer the critical “Now what?” question with specific, evidence-based policy recommendations. We expect contributions to translate analysis into actionable artifacts such as policy design principles, specific regulatory interventions with evidence-based justification, and implementation roadmaps for policy

Based on last year’s submission count of 33 papers to this track, we expect a comparable or higher number of submissions. This is driven by the track’s first presence and visibility created at ECIS 2026 and the growing interest in policy research within the IS community.

Topics of interest

Case studies on IS policy making and impact

Sustainability and environmental policy challenges in IS

Policies for ethical use of digital technologies

Political and institutional barriers in context of IS policy

IS policy across organizational boundaries (e.g., with view on supply chains or ecosystems)

Foresight approaches for anticipating policy needs

Frameworks and methodologies for translating IS findings into policy recommendations

Innovative narratives and storytelling techniques for engaging policymakers

Collaborative partnerships between IS researchers and policy actors

Cross-country comparisons of IS policies

Associate editors

Aaron Cheng
London School of Economics

Kalle Lyytinen
Case Western Reserve University

Carmen Leong
University of New South Wales

Karin Väyrynen
University of Oulu

Raffaele Ciriello
The University of Sydney

Roser Pujadas
University College London

Martin Harracá
Universidad Nacional de San Martín

Thomas Fackler
University of Surrey Business School

Tilo Böhmann
University of Hamburg

Kevin Desouza
Queensland University of Technology