[EuroDig Interview] Elma Demir, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Elma Demir is a researcher from Sarajevo who is involved in Internet governance themes and will be part of a team who will present their research at the forthcoming EuroDig in Geneva.

DIPLO IGCBP: Elma, can you share some of the academic interest you have on Internet governance?

ELMA: Through a research position at the Institute for Infrastructure Protection (IP3) – research institution based at Dartmouth College where I am completing my master studies - I got involved in Internet Governance issues and wrote a research paper on potential changes in the IG regime and implications these create for U.S. national security. After learning about the Diplo Foundation program I thought it would be a great extension of my knowledge. And it was! I really enjoyed the online course, particularly its interactive nature and inputs from other participants.

DIPLO IGCBP: Please tell us more about the current situation in your country: what do you see as the main challenges ahead? And how do you expect to touch these issues on the EuroDig?

ELMA: Internet Governance field is quite new for Bosnia and Herzegovina and many issues have not been touched by relevant institutions. However, these would need to be addresses as they are important for development of the information society in the country. The subjects that interest me mostly now are not as much as particular IG issues but the processes that surround them – how global and regional regulation gets established through self-governing practices. In this way, I plan to participate in the EuroDIG workshops that touch upon public-private partnerships and future of the Internet regulation and services. Through these I hope to acquire new knowledge and insights for my ongoing and future research projects.

DIPLO IGCBP: What's next?

ELMA: After completion of my master studies, I would like to enroll in a PhD program and conduct research on impacts of technology, particularly web technologies, on modes of regulation, governance, and political innovation. Expectantly, through participation at EuroDIG I plan to establish contacts that would help me accomplish this goal.

---

This interview is part of a series with participants from the European Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme. Diplo IGCBP stands for Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme and you can find more on our Facebook profile, the Internet Governance Capacity Building page on Facebook or the Twitter for Internet Governance