Call for Papers

Opening conference of the Research Group
“Economic and Legal Challenges in the Advent of Smart Products”
OCTOBER 4-6, 2021

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) at Bielefeld University is pleased to announce the opening conference of its new Research Group “Economic and Legal Challenges in the Advent of Smart Products”. The conference aims to provide a platform for both disciplinary and interdisciplinary exchange on topics related the development and legal regulation of smart products, as well as factors determining their acceptance and diffusion. Questions of particular interest include:

- How are innovation activities of firms affected by the legal environment?
- How do data privacy concerns affect the behaviour of consumers, firms, and policy makers?
- How do specific features of smart products (such as autonomous activity, data collection, opacity as a result to deep learning) affect consumers’ trust in these products and their willingness to adopt?
- Which empirical and theoretical approaches are suitable for analyzing the (expected) diffusion of smart products?
- How to deal with the major regulatory challenges arising in age of smart products?

We are mainly inviting papers with an economic and/or legal perspective on such questions (thereby using various methodological approaches), but we also welcome submissions from other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, and data sciences. Apart from contributed sessions, the conference will also feature two keynotes, as well as a panel discussion with policy makers and industry leaders.

Keynotes: Eric Talley (Columbia University) and Mireille Hildebrandt (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

Organizing committee: Herbert Dawid (Bielefeld University), Sabine Gless (University of Basel), Gerd Muehlheusser (University of Hamburg)

Fees, costs and registration: There is no participation fee, but participants need to register for the conference in advance. ZiF will cover the cost for travel and accommodation for presenters and discussants according to its regulations.

Conference format: As of now, we plan that the conference takes place in person at ZiF. Should travel restrictions still apply by then, we will be able to switch to a hybrid or even fully online format.

Submission: Please submit either a full paper or an extended abstract (written in English, preferably in PDF) by MAY 1, 2021 to smart-products@uni-bielefeld.de

Contact: Nadine Sutmöller (ZiF), Methoden 1, 33615 Bielefeld, nadine.sutmoeller@uni-bielefeld.de

To learn more about the Research Group and to obtain up-to-date information concerning the conference, please visit: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/(en)/ZiF/FG/2021SmartProducts/index.html