Feb 28, 2018 - This project looks at the three layers of the blockchain stack—protocol, consensus, and economic—from logical and technical points of view; and it distinguishes between two types of standardization, semantic and technological. It should help executives and investors to understand the implementation challenges—such as scalability, energy consumption, and governance of each layer—and the problems that the blockchain community is attempting to solve with each innovation.

Nov 28, 2019 - Written in a conversational style, this guide is aimed at people new to blockchain technology and interested in boosting their careers or identifying business opportunities for themselves or their organizations. It unpacks confusing blockchain jargon with lots of examples, and it covers what every professional needs to know about this area of innovation. Its appendix provides a range of activities for learning more and developing hands-on experience with the technology. The author’s goal is to help readers understand the role of blockchain as a disruptive force in their industries, their organizations, and their careers.

Jan 13, 2020 - This project is an executive’s guide to the emerging field of cryptoeconomics, the study of individual and collective choices in blockchain-based environments. These environments are more difficult to change than other software ecosystems, and so their creators must design them very thoughtfully. The authors provide a framework for economic design and walk through the phases of the design process. Through the case studies of Nestlé OpenSC, AXA fizzy, and the Synaptic Health Alliance, they analyze the challenges that stakeholders face in governing blockchain projects, and they explain why many projects fail to achieve their goals. It is a m...

Jun 27, 2018 - Decentralization, hashing functions, public key cryptography, and smart contracts are advantageous design features of blockchain systems. These require the coordination of multiple and diverse actors with differing incentives—cryptoeconomics—to solve any problems that arise. This research examines the impact of governance on these systems. Specifically, it explores governance needs at three levels of the blockchain stack: the Internet layer, the blockchain layer, and the application layer, including the deployment of decentralized applications (Dapps). De Filippi and McMullen explain the difference between governance by the infrastructure...

Mar 16, 2018 - This project digs into the regulatory implications of privately funding public blockchain-based resources, some of which qualify as an ecosystem such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, some as a decentralized application (Dapp), and some as a regulated security (e.g., The DAO), according the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Coalition of Automated Legal Applications describes various legal solutions, such as simple agreement for future tokens, that could support ecosystems that are innovative, streamlined, and fair for all stakeholders.

Jun 28, 2021 - This project reports on the state of the enterprise blockchain space. It begins with commentary on the state of the world writ large—from the pandemic’s effects on the economy and the global need for vaccinations to the K-shaped recovery and the consequences of helicopter money (e.g., inflation). It covers a series of developments relevant to enterprise users: the price volatility of cryptocurrencies, the shortcomings of consensus mechanisms for enterprise needs, the growth of stablecoins, the status of tokenless blockchains and blockchain-as-a-service offerings, and the latest on central bank digital currencies (e.g., China’s digital c...