Economic and Institutional Implications of Blockchain
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Author
Date
2017
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Economics
Language
en
Pages
55
Series
Abstract
Blockchain technology has been raising enthusiasm over a variety of disciplines, from information technology and finance, to law and economics. Blockchain is a decentralized ledger, which facilitates trust and makes peer-to-peer transactions possible without a central third-party authority. Since 2008, cryptocurrency bitcoin has provided an example of how to implement a marketplace without a central authority by using blockchain technology . The fact that a broad range of economic and government activities rely on a centralized recording of the basic data of the economy makes this technology potentially significant. The utopian views of blockchain have argued that it will disrupt a wide range of markets by eliminating the need for intermediation. The objective of this thesis is to review the relevant literature related to the topic and provide a guide to what blockchain means in the field of economics. The published research is mapped through a three stage literature review, and based on this, it is organized in three main categories: monetary-, innovation- and governance-centred research. Even though the literature surrounding the topic is still in its infancy, the potential of blockchain technologies is recognized by the literature. From the monetary viewpoint blockchain gives unprecedented flexibility in designing the attributes of currencies in terms of supply, value and exchange. From the innovation viewpoint, blockchain can create both increased efficiency of existing markets but also profits through entirely new markets. From the governance viewpoint blockchain facilitates trust and can be instrumental in democratizing economy more towards peer-to-peer production and consumption. Rather than a single technology, blockchain should be understood as a part of a greater digital transformation. In this case, blockchain can play a role in unlocking the potential of digital commons as well as the sharing and platform economy through a decentralized, universal record-keeping system.Description
Thesis advisor
Mustonen, MikkoKeywords
blockchain, Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, digitalization, distributed ledger technologies, monetary economics, new institutional economics, economics of innovation
