Few technologies have been mired in hype more than blockchain, which is the underlying peer-to-peer network protocol for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Given the technology’s emphasis on purported “immutable ledgers” and trust-less sharing models, there has been a great deal of interest in applying blockchain to democratic reforms. From localized decision-making to national-scale voting systems, blockchain has spurred a surge of interest in how democracy might “get a software update”. While significant research exists on socio-technological imaginaries (perceptions) and potential applications (experiments) within the Global North, few studies have looked at more dynamic contexts, particularly Central Asia. In light of the violence surrounding elections in October 2020 and previous revolutions against the country’s central government, the status of democracy in Kyrgyzstan is, at best, fragile and, at worst, non-existent. This article explores alternative futures scenarios for localized, blockchain-driven governance futures in Kyrgyzstan and concludes with a proposal for deeper investigation.

Few studies on diversification strategies address small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and how they differ from large firms. Although related diversifications tend to be the approach for SME diversifications, we need to know more about unrelated diversifications by SMEs. This study focuses on the process of SME unrelated diversification and conduct ethnographic case study on a family business SME from Kyrgyzstan. The inductive process study offers variegated bonding as a possible process of SME diversification. The process consists of the three steps: appetizing, baby-stepping and reconstructing identity. This study extends the extant literature on SME diversification and investigates how the organizational aspiration of identity reconstructions could lead to the focal organization’s entry to an unrelated sector and establishing connectivity between its core and emergent sector organization that eventually alters its identity.