Blockchain Capabilities Economic Viability And The Socio Technical Environment

Blockchain is widely considered a new key technology. The Foundation for Technology Assessment (TA-SWISS) has proposed a comprehensive assessment of blockchain technologies. With this publication, TA-SWISS provides the much-needed social contextualisation of blockchain. The first, more technical part of the study takes an in-depth look at how blockchain functions and examines the economic potential of this technology. By analysing multiple real-world applications, the study sheds light on where the blockchain has advantages over traditional applications and where existing technologies continue to be the better solution. The second part of the study examines how blockchain became mainstream. It explores the origins of blockchain in the early history of information technology and computer networks. The study also reveals the impact blockchain has on industrial and public spaces. Finally, it discusses the social implications and challenges of blockchain against the background of a new socio-technical environment.

Humanity will have to cope with many problems in the coming decades: for instance, the world population is likely grow to to 8,8 billion people by 2035. Also, changing climate conditions are negatively affecting the livelihoods of millions of people. In particular, environmental disasters are causing substantial damages to properties. From a social perspective, the inequalities between rich and poor nations are becoming even deeper, and in many countries, conflicts between national and international interest groups are intensifying.The above state of affairs suggest that a broader understanding of the trends which may lead to a more sustainable world is needed, especially those which may pave the way for future developments. In other words, we need to pave the way for sustainable futures.Consistent with this reality, the proposed Encyclopedia of Sustainability Futures aims to identify, document and disseminate ideas, experiences and visions from scientists, member of nongovernmental organisations, decision-makers industry representatives and citizens, on themes and issues which will be important in pursuing sustainable future scenarios. In particular, the publication will focus on scientific aspects, as well as on social and economic ones, also considering matters related to financing and infra-structures, which are important in pursuing a sustainable future.The Encyclopedia of Sustainability Futures will involve the contributing authors in line with theprinciple of co-generation, from across a wide range of disciplines, e.g. education and social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, the arts, languages etc, with papers adopting a long-term sustainability perspective, with a time horizon until 2050. The focus will be on themes which are felt as important in the future, and the chapters are expected to interest and motivate a world audience.This book is part of the "100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals initiative"!

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in blockchain creates one of the world’s most reliable technology-enabled decision-making systems that is virtually tamper-proof and provides solid insights and decisions. The integration of AI and Blockchain affects many aspects from food supply chain logistics and healthcare record sharing to media royalties and financial security. It is imperative that regulatory standards are emphasized in order to support positive outcomes from the integration of AI in blockchain technology. Regulatory Aspects of Artificial Intelligence on Blockchain provides relevant legal and security frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in blockchain and AI. Through the latest research and standards, the book identifies and offers solutions for overcoming legal consequences that pertain to the application of AI into the blockchain system, especially concerning the usage of smart contracts. The chapters, while investigating the legal and security issues associated with these applications, also include topics such as smart contacts, network vulnerability, cryptocurrency, machine learning, and more. This book is essential for technologists, security analysts, legal specialists, privacy and data security practitioners, IT consultants, standardization professionals, researchers, academicians, and students interested in blockchain and AI from a legal and security viewpoint.

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in ‘the commons’ based on a simple yet radical idea: great improvements in production and management could be achieved by reducing barriers to knowledge exchange and power-sharing. Ranging from meadows, forests and parks to language, open-source software (FLOSS and Blockchain) and 3D printers, the commons are distributed or common property resources/infrastructures that are self-managed by their user communities. While acknowledging the significant contributions that can be made through commons-based peer production, this book provides a critical examination of the commons with the aim of contributing to their long-term sustainability. In particular, the book examines the relation of Blockchain to the commons by illustrating the case study of the Commons Stack. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary ideas and methodologies, the book argues that there are a number of economic and social barriers that are obstructing the wider reproduction of the commons. Problems with access to capital and training, the lack of entrepreneurial and managerial skills and the absence of institutional support from governments, larger co-ops and NGOs are some of the external difficulties facing the commons today. Meanwhile, localism, gated communities, vested interests, atavism, traditionalism, ideology, conflict, neo-conservatism and techno-elitism represent some of the internal contradictions inherent in the commons. Through overcoming these contradictions, the ultimate goal is to transform capitalism into the postcapitalism of the commons: the creation of a social economy self-organised around the commons. This book provides vital reading for anyone interested in the commons, from economics, techno-politics and across the social sciences.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12h International Symposium on Business Modeling and Software Design, BMSD 2022, which took place in Fribourg, Switzerland, in June 2022. The 12 full and 9 short papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 56 submissions. BMSD is a leading international forum that brings together researchers and practitioners interested in business modeling and its relation to software design. Particular areas of interest are: Business Processes and Enterprise Engineering; Business Models and Requirements; Business Models and Services; Business Models and Software; Information Systems Architectures and Paradigms; Data Aspects in Business Modeling and Software Development; Blockchain-Based Business Models and Information Systems; IoT and Implications for Enterprise Information Systems. Each year, a special theme is chosen, for making presentations and discussions more focused. The BMSD 2022 theme is: Information Systems Engineering and Trust.

In recent decades, the industrial revolution has increased economic growth despite its immersion in global environmental issues such as climate change. Researchers emphasize the adoption of circular economy practices in global supply chains and businesses for better socio-environmental sustainability without compromising economic growth. Integrating blockchain technology into business practices could promote the circular economy as well as global environmental sustainability. Integrating Blockchain Technology Into the Circular Economy discusses the technological advancements in circular economy practices, which provide better results for both economic growth and environmental sustainability. It provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the applications of blockchain technology. Covering topics such as big data analytics, financial market infrastructure, and sustainable performance, this book is an essential resource for managers, operations managers, executives, manufacturers, environmentalists, researchers, industry practitioners, students and educators of higher education, and academicians.

This two-volume set of IFIP AICT 617 and 618 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the IFIP WG 8.6 International Working Conference "Re-imagining Diffusion and Adoption of Information Technology and Systems: A Continuing Conversation" on Transfer and Diffusion of IT, TDIT 2020, held in Tiruchirappalli, India, in December 2020. The 86 revised full papers and 36 short papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 224 submissions. The papers focus on the re-imagination of diffusion and adoption of emerging technologies. They are organized in the following parts: Part I: artificial intelligence and autonomous systems; big data and analytics; blockchain; diffusion and adoption technology; emerging technologies in e-Governance; emerging technologies in consumer decision making and choice; fin-tech applications; healthcare information technology; and Internet of Things Part II: information technology and disaster management; adoption of mobile and platform-based applications; smart cities and digital government; social media; and diffusion of information technology and systems

Blockchain is no longer just about bitcoin or cryptocurrencies in general. Instead, it can be seen as a disruptive, revolutionary technology which will have major impacts on multiple aspects of our lives. The revolutionary power of such technology compares with the revolution sparked by the World Wide Web and the Internet in general. Just as the Internet is a means of sharing information, so blockchain technologies can be seen as a way to introduce the next level: sharing value. Blockchain and Web 3.0 fills the gap in our understanding of blockchain technologies by hosting a discussion of the new technologies in a variety of disciplinary settings. Indeed, this volume explains how such technologies are disruptive and comparatively examines the social, economic, technological and legal consequences of these disruptions. Such a comparative perspective has previously been underemphasized in the debate about blockchain, which has subsequently led to weaknesses in our understanding of decentralized technologies. Underlining the risks and opportunities offered by the advent of blockchain technologies and the rise of Web 3.0, this book will appeal to researchers and academics interested in fields such as sociology and social policy, cyberculture, new media and privacy and data protection.