How emerging technologies can solve critical issues in organizational operations: An analysis of blockchain-driven projects in the public sector

Abstract

Blockchain technology emerged as a concrete and disruptive application in all sectors. Even if the public sector witnessed this technology's first applications and implementations, it took a while to spread even in that environment. Previous studies have shown that blockchain technologies are a powerful, essential, and effective lever for transforming government processes and procedures and improving the management of public benefits and policies. Following an analysis of a sample of 167 blockchain-oriented projects in the public sector, we explore in this article the extent of the effects of blockchain on fundamental public governance functions, and we further explore the information technology and strategic management literature in this regard. As a result, our study shows concrete evidence of how blockchain improves several government core functions: (1) public service governance, administrative efficiency, and open government capabilities; (2) process innovation in public services; and operational and administrative performance improvement. Via a fsQCA analysis, we explored how indicators characterizing blockchain-based transformation projects in the public sector led to radical transformations in public services. Our findings move forward the blockchain perspective on the public sector by enriching the literature, bringing insights to policymakers, and opening new research directions to scholars and practitioners.