Blockchain for Development in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In the context of Informationand Communication Technologies (ICT) for Development (ICT4D), several efforts have been carried out over the last decades to help developing countries address their challenges. In times of a pandemic, such as the COVID-19, several of these challenges gain higher priority in development as they may become unmanageable with the developing world's resources. Blockchain is a disruptive technology that could potentially enable the sustainable addressing of some of them, and COVID-19 offers a unique and timely opportunity to operationalize it. Driven by the research question “In what areas can Blockchain help address development challenges during a pandemic?” we aim to understand its applicability in addressing crucial social problems in developing countries. While the literature analysis points towards several promising areas, there are also significant concerns that need to be understood and carefully addressed when considering Blockchain in the context of developing countries. The critical discourse in this work is expected to benefit a wide variety of technology, policy, and research stakeholders.

Keywords

• Blockchain
• pandemic
• information and communication technologies
• social implications
• technology impact
• COVID-19