Blockchain and Public Record Keeping: Of Temples, Prisons, and the (Re)Configuration of Power

Lemieux, Victoria L.

doi:10.3389/fbloc.2019.00005

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Crypto-anarchists, or techno-determinists, see distributed ledgers as unseating government (Atzori, 2015). However, others see a significant role for government alongside distributed ledgers in creating and preserving trustworthy records on evidence of rights, entitlements, and actions as distributed ledgers provide new ways to record information (Lemieux, 2019). Legal scholars have pointed out how law and legal infrastructure is useful for blockchain networks (Werbach, 2018), including for smart contracts (Cohney et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Government by Code? Blockchain Applications to Public Sector Governance

et al. 2022

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Studies of blockchain governance can be divided into analyses of the governance of blockchains (such as rules and power dynamics within a given network) and governance by blockchains (such as how blockchains can be implemented to improve self-governance of community-based peer production networks). Less emphasis has been placed on applications of distributed ledgers to public sector governance. Our review clarifies that the decentralization and distributive features that enable blockchains to link up loosely connected private organizations and public agencies to improve efficiency and transparency of government transactions. However, most blockchain applications lack clear advantages over the conventional digital recording of information. In addition, our review highlights that blockchain applications in public sector governance are potentially vast, though in most instances, the existing applications have not extended much beyond limited-scale pilots. We conclude with a call for the construction of indexes of public sector implementations of blockchains, as none yet exist, as well as for additional research to understand why governments have not deployed blockchains more widely.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Government by Code? Blockchain Applications to Public Sector Governance

et al. 2022

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“…Thirdly, questions arise regarding the ability of blockchain systems to facilitate the archival function of data preservation over time (Lemieux, 2017(Lemieux, , 2019. For example, in blockchain land administration projects, original records are not stored on the system but hashes of the data (Lemieux, 2017).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Blockchain in Documenting Land Users' Rights: The Canonical Case of Farmers in the Vernacular Land Market

Daniel

Speranza

2020

Front. Blockchain

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In this article, we discuss the potential of blockchain technology in addressing the documentation of users' land rights in the informal land rental market. Blockchain technology is a peer-to-peer protocol that can be leveraged to keep track of transactions over the internet. Publicized for its use in the bitcoin revolution, the technology provides transparency and traceability that can be used in the management of land rights. When it comes to the formalization of land rights, blockchain technology promises to authenticate owners and other users of land, and provides a fixed ledger of land use rights transactions. At present, blockchain technology is being explored as a proof of concept in several countries to track land titles (state to individual). We extend the idea to capture the granting of land use rights (individual to individual) making use of the decentralization, peer-to-peer nature of blockchain technology. While the technology is not a panacea to all land administration challenges, it can offer an effective means to manage land transactions, provide digital documentation to actors in the informal land rental market and reduce inefficiency in land systems. However, the uptake of the technology in land administration is limited by human related factors. These limitations include, but are not limited to, the accuracy of data being entered into the system, the ability of the system to facilitate data preservation, pre-existing institutional and legal pillars, and the digital divide across communities. Part of overcoming these barriers requires the political will of governments to invest in digital technologies and develop institutional capacities to overcome current limitations to bring land management into the industry 4.0 era.

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“…The study recommended that records managers determine record-keeping requirements before developing a business application using blockchain and that these considerations must be included from the start because of the fixed nature of blockchains. Lemieux (2019) discussed blockchain technology as a public record-keeping system, linking record-keeping to power of authority, veneration (temples) and control (prisons) that configure and reconfigure social, economic and political relations. It discusses blockchain technology as being constructed as a mechanism to counter institutions and social actors that currently hold power, but who are nowadays often viewed with mistrust.…”

Section: Related Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relevance of blockchain technology and the management of libraries and archives in the 4IR

Tella

Amuda

2022

DLP

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Purpose This study aims to examine the awareness and perception of the relevance of blockchain technology in the management of libraries and archives in the fourth industrial revolution in a developing country, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Ten system librarians selected from five different libraries and ten archivists selected from five different archives in the Southwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria represent the sample for the study. The study adopted a purely qualitative approach where data was collected through an open-ended questionnaire mailed to the participants to guide against physical contact and maintained social distancing to observe COVID-19 protocol. Findings The results reveal that both the librarians and archivists are aware of blockchain technology, its adoption and use in libraries and archives. There is a positive perception about blockchain technology believing that it can assist libraries and archives in storing information in a distributed settings through gathering, preserving and sharing authoritative information, and supports archivists in creating a unique verifiable record that can be accessed by anyone in archives. Implementation, maintenance cost and difficulty in sustainability are identified as the challenges of blockchain adoption. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to one geopolitical zone of Nigeria which necessitates the need for further research on the similar subject matter in other geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Practical implications The findings of the study have identified the need for librarians and archivists to increase their awareness and develop a positive perception toward blockchain technologies. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to research the relevance of blockchain technology in Nigerian libraries and archives. This paper reported the benefits libraries and archives could derive from the adoption of blockchain, and how such can improve effective services delivery to the satisfaction of the users of archives and libraries.

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Blockchain and Public Record Keeping: Of Temples, Prisons, and the (Re)Configuration of Power

Cited by 23 publications

References 33 publications

Government by Code? Blockchain Applications to Public Sector Governance

Government by Code? Blockchain Applications to Public Sector Governance

The Role of Blockchain in Documenting Land Users' Rights: The Canonical Case of Farmers in the Vernacular Land Market

Relevance of blockchain technology and the management of libraries and archives in the 4IR

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