[POLICY BRIEF] Blockchain Technology as an Instrument for Global Governance, by Primavera DE FILIPPI

Permanent researcher at the National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris, faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and Visiting Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, Primavera de Filippi is one of the world’s experts on blockchain technology, open governance, and public trust.

In this policy brief for Sciences Po’s Digital, Governance and Sovereignty Chair, she uses existing literature and real-life experimentations to build an in-depth analysis on how blockchain technology, thanks to its poly-centric models of governance, might restore trust between private actors and public institutions. This renewed trust could then extend far beyond the local or national level and support the collaboration of international public institutions, NGOs, and private stakeholders required to tackle some of the global challenges of our interdependent world.

While blockchain technology is not the solution to all global governance challenges, it does nonetheless provide a powerful framework for achieving decentralised yet coordinated action at scale—one that could be instrumental in tackling some of the most pressing issues we face today.

Based on this research work, Primavera de Filippi shares with us her recommendations to successfully implement those new governance systems, from short-term actions to long-term efforts.