Frontiers in Blockchain (Journal)

Ubacht, J. (Editor)

Information and Communication Technology

Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial activity

Description

Special Issue on Blockchain-based Applications for Information Sharing and Management in e-Government

Period	2021
Type of journal	Journal
ISSN	2624-7852
Degree of Recognition	International

Keywords

blockchain
e-government
digital information sharing

Documents & Links

In the past years, researchers and practitioners have highlighted the potential of Blockchain Technology (BCT) and distributed ledger technology (DLT) to revolutionize government processes. Transactions and information exchange between governmental organizations (G2G), between business and government (B2G), as well as between governments and citizens (G2C), can be transformed by using blockchain-based applications. These applications can benefit stakeholders by improving the efficiency of information exchanges (e.g. leading to less fraud and fewer mistakes than paper-based registrations) and can contribute more widely to an inclusive society (e.g. by means of secure and user-controlled digital identities, access to data for all, rule of law and at the same time privacy protection). All papers should include detailed consideration of how the work contributes to ‘good’, and for whom. BCT offers the opportunity to organize information exchange and retrieval between multiple government agencies on the one hand and with other organizations on the other hand: with private organizations, NGO’s, but also with citizens. These processes relate to information exchange at different levels of government, be it national, federal, provincial or at a municipal level. Blockchain-based applications can be an efficient and effective way to deliver government services by means of breaking down centralized information silos that exist between these organizations. Subsequently, BCT has the potential to create secure and immutable data processes that support services delivery in all kinds of governmental processes: land registry, identities, permits, procurements, taxation, health care provision, simplified access to data, maintaining a history of all transactions, data protection etc. Digital innovations for information sharing and management in e-government require solid analysis of extant information architectures, processes and involved stakeholders to design the necessary digital innovation. Governmental organisations need a thorough understanding of the blockchain design principles, the possible applications in the domain of e-government and the exploration of governance mechanisms to deal with the limitations and challenges of the BC technology. Governance of blockchain technology is important for its use in both the public sector and the private sector. Governance can also be of the technology, which will typically be a responsibility for governments, and by the technology, which will concern both public and private sectors. Case studies can contribute to this understanding and illustrate the potential of blockchain in G2G, B2G and C2G processes, highlighting the benefits it brings to transactions and information exchange in these contexts. We welcome original research papers, (literature) review papers and case-oriented papers that address the design and implementation of blockchain-based applications for information sharing and management in e-government. Submissions are preferably linked to empirical use cases, demonstrations, and evaluations of applications, and all papers should consider and emphasize for whom the use of these applications creates benefit or value.