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Blockchain for good? Digital ledger technology and sustainable development goals

Adams, Richard; Kewell, Beth; Parry, Glenn

Authors

Richard Adams

Beth Kewell

Glenn Parry Glenn.Parry@uwe.ac.uk
Associate Lecturer - BAM



Contributors

Walter Filho
Editor

R Marans
Editor

J Callewaert
Editor

Abstract

Blockchain technology (aka Distributed Ledger Technology or DLT) is a novel configuration of Peer-to-Peer, cryptographic and distributed computing technologies that have the potential to shift the internet from an internet of information to an internet of value network, with significant disruptive potential. To date, the cryptocurrency ‘bitcoin’ is the application of DLT that has attracted most attention, not all of it favourable. However, DLTs are about much more than cryptocurrencies and, as Kranzberg’s (1986) first law of technology, that ‘Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral’ reminds us, we can ethically frame applications of new technologies. To date, research has tended to focus on the technical characteristics of DLTs, and there has been little reflection on potential socially and environmentally beneficial use cases: Blockchain for Good (B4G). The aim of this this exploratory and descriptive paper is to reflect on innovative B4G applications that could help deliver socially and environmentally beneficial outcomes, framed in terms of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, through challenging existing business models and providing new opportunities for value creation.

Citation

Adams, R., Kewell, B., & Parry, G. (2017). Blockchain for good? Digital ledger technology and sustainable development goals. In W. Filho, R. Marans, & J. Callewaert (Eds.), Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science (127-140). Springer International Publishing AG 2018

Publication Date Nov 6, 2017
Deposit Date Nov 7, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Pages 127-140
Book Title Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science
ISBN 9783319671215
Keywords blockchain, blockchain for Good, digital ledger, sustainable development, development goals
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/878712