The role of public agencies in blockchain consortia: Learning from the Cardossier

Abstract

Blockchain technologies enable new forms of data sharing in platforms. This raises questions around how they are jointly developed and managed in blockchain consortia and what role public agencies play in those efforts. Based on an analysis of prior work on data sharing in public-private partnerships and other blockchain projects, we analyze the case of the Cardossier. The Cardossier project and (later) association develops a platform to link the public and private actors in the Swiss car ecosystem. The participating car registration authority has the roles of an actor in interorganizational processes, supplier of data, source of trust, guarantor of data quality, user of data, and incentive for making goods public. We conclude that the public agencies have a very important role in blockchain consortia and propose that they should use this role actively as part of their efforts to create public value.

Towards Generic Business Models of Intermediaries in Data Collaboratives: From Gatekeeping to Data Control

“…And in the Data Controls model, where value comes from buy-in from key stakeholders, government can be a facilitator, a data provider/client, data user, and funder. Overall, our study confirms and provides illustrations of the roles of government in data collaborations described in previous research [17,27]: namely, government as a data provider, data user, facilitator of collaboration, supporter or funder, an active partner in the consortium, a guarantor of data quality, source of trust, public interest promoter. Our research however shows that it is rarely just one role that government organizations assume but a combination of roles.…”

Mine, Yours, … Ours? Managing Stakeholder Conflicts in an Enterprise Blockchain Consortium

“…For last, regulation, in the sense of local laws and their application, have frequently been cited as a detriment to blockchain adoption [62]. Consequently, collaborating with regulatory entities, CarCon has shown, how working alongside regulators can enhance CarCon's success [54]. At the same time, the collaboration with regulatory entities shaped CarCon's structure and operations, as regulatory entities cannot favor single parties over others, while their actions must be transparent, which effectively make them unsuitable contributors to a business' private workstream.…”

“…Furthermore, state bodies can be involved in dapps targeting cost-coverage at best, but never for-profit workstreams; regulation, however, allows for surpluses, which then are gathered and redistributed within the state body. As some of these conflicts might be interpreted as inhibitors, an early alignment with regulatory entities, such as the RTA, legitimizes the consortium's work and, consequently, can be seen as crucial for a project's success [54].…”

Understanding Privacy Disclosure in the Online Market for Lemons: Insights and Requirements for Platform Providers

“…This research assumes that this data is available in the market place and stakeholders are willing to share it. Researchers have addressed multiple issues here such as the architecture of such a system [5], assuring data quality [10], the inclusion of the public sector [11], and the building of an appropriate governance [12]. It is also clear that car usage data can be sensitive and is protected by GDPR [13].…”