PhD research on the implementation of a governance code for blockchain based ecosystems

Design of protocol for dynamic governance of corporate blockchain ecosystems

November 2, 2023

Birgitte Haaren van Duijn defended her PhD thesis at the Department Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences on November 2.

The rise of blockchain technology has brought to light the need for a new governance approach that enables users to collaborate and act with each other in a decentralized and trusted way. This presents organizations, especially large companies, with unprecedented opportunities but also challenges. One example is an international logistics supply chain that is integrating blockchain technology to ensure the traceability of their products from manufacturer to end user.

Birgitte van Haaren-van Duijn confronted these challenges in her PhD research. Her findings offer valuable recommendations for successful design of the governance for blockchain-based ecosystems. She also presents a protocol called GOBLET, based on the main characteristics of the blockchain and the growth phases  of the ecosystem.

The research followed a design science approach, collecting data from more than 12 different blockchain ecosystems. This included in-depth analyses of documentation, 27 interviews and more than 300 hours of participant observations.

One of the most notable contributions of this research is the development of a dynamic protocol for the design of a governance code for blockchain technology. Given the decentralization and continuous evolution of this technology, flexible governance is essential for thesuccessful growth of these ecosystems.mplementation.

This research contributes to the implementation of blockchain governance for organizations networks. The GOBLET protocol can be a starting point for how companies manage their blockchain ecosystems and an inspiration for future developments in this area.

Title of the PhD thesis: "A design of a protocol for the dynamic governance of enterprise blockchain ecosystems. (Leveraging blockchain technology for transparent, efficient and effective business operations)" Promoters: Mathieu Weggeman, Sjoerd Romme and Jaime Bonnin Roca.

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