Building Trust in Democracy with Blockchain Technology

Building Trust in Democracy with Blockchain Tech

Full PDF of Building Trust in Democracy with Blockchain Paper

Democracy relies on a healthy backbone of civic trust in government and political institutions. For many reasons, that backbone is increasingly brittle. A global rise in populist mistrust of elite gatekeepers, opaque communications, and corruption have contributed to democratic backsliding around the world.

Blockchain technology could be used to help correct this dangerous trajectory by embedding transparency and accountability into government processes. Our democratic institutions – many designed in the 19th century – are poorly adapted for the speed and openness of the digital era. Communication is nearly instantaneous, yet, the reliability of the information that democratic societies depend upon has deteriorated. Given this dynamic, civic technologists continue to explore how harnessing distributed ledger technologies could advance democracy, governance, and civic engagement.