"During the last night at Boca de Tomates, a violent tropical storm raged across the coast, stampeding through the camp and devastating our home. We watched in awe as the already-slanting structure swayed precariously around us, as chunks of the roof flew off into the sky and as a nearby palm tree was struck by lightning. . . . Our comfortable Brighton flat and the once ubiquitous chatter of house prices and internet millionaires seemed a world away." A great number of people consider volunteering at some point in their life and this is a nuts and bolts guide to volunteering full of honest...

This book is a collection of articles, written by both academics and practitioners as an evidence base for citizen engagement through information and communication technologies (ICTs). In it, the authors ask: how do ICTs empower through participation, transparency and accountability? Specifically, the authors examine two principal questions: Are technologies an accelerator to closing the 'accountability gap' -- the space between the supply (governments, service providers) and demand (citizens, communities, civil society organizations or CSOs) that requires bridging for open and collaborative...