Paper details

Paper authors	Mark Bui
In panel on	Professionalizing the Use of Information Communication Technologies and Data in Crisis Response
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been growing interest in blockchain technology around the world and across sectors. Humanitarian assistance is no exception to the hype; many actors in the sphere have been touting the technology as an encompassing panacea for various problems from financial to logistics. However, much of the debate has revolved around what blockchain can do rather than whether we need it at all. This paper addresses this latter question by identifying the problems that blockchain promises solutions for, and in turn comparing its merits to those of conventional technologies. In so doing, the paper seeks to move beyond the hype to determine blockchain’s place in humanitarian action.

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