Blockchain and OECD data repositories: opportunities and policymaking implications
| Date | 18 March 2019 |
| Pages | 30-42 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-12-2017-0276 |
| Published date | 18 March 2019 |
| Author | Miguel-Angel Sicilia,Anna Visvizi |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Information behaviour & retrieval,Information user studies,Metadata,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Blockchain and OECD data
repositories: opportunities and
policymaking implications
Miguel-Angel Sicilia
Department of Computer Science, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and
Anna Visvizi
School of Business and Economics,
Deree College –The American College of Greece, Athens, Greece and
College of Business, Effat University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to employ the case of Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD) data repositories to examine the potential of blockchain technology in the context of
addressing basic contemporary societal concerns, such as transparency, accountability and trust in the
policymaking process. Current approaches to sharing data employ standardized metadata, in which the
provider of the service is assumed to be a trusted party. However, derived data, analytic processes or links
from policies, are in many cases not shared in the same form, thus breaking the provenance trace and making
the repetition of analysis conducted in the past difficult. Similarly, it becomes tricky to test whether certain
conditions justifying policies implemented still apply. A higher level of reuse would require a decentralized
approach to sharing both data and analytic scripts and software. This could be supported by a combination of
blockchain and decentralized file system technology.
Design/methodology/approach –The findings presented in this paper have been derived from an
analysis of a case study, i.e., analytics using data made available by the OECD. The set of data the OECD
provides is vast and is used broadly. The argument is structured as follows. First, current issues and topics
shaping the debate on blockchain are outlined. Then, a redefinition of the main artifacts on which some simple
or convoluted analytic results are based is revised for some concrete purposes. The requirements on
provenance, trust and repeatability are discussed with regards to the architecture proposed, and a proof of
concept using smart contracts is used for reasoning on relevant scenarios.
Findings –A combination of decent ralized file systems and an open blockchain s uch as Ethereum
supporting smart contracts can ascertain that the set of artifacts used for the analytics is shared.
This enables the sequence underlying the successive stages of research and/or policymaking to be
preserved. This sugge sts that, in turn, and ex post, it becomes po ssible to test whether evidence sup porting
certain findings and/or policy decisions still hold. Moreover, unlike traditional databases, blockchain
technology makes it pos sible that immutable rec ords can be stored. This mea ns that the artifacts
can be used for further ex ploitation or repetit ion of results. In pract ical terms, the use of bloc kchain
technology creates the opportunity to enhance the evidence-based approach to policy design and
policy recommendatio ns that the OECD fosters. That is, it might enable t he stakeholders not only to use
the data available in the OECD repositories but also to assess corrections to a given policy strategy or
modify its scope.
Research limitations/implications –Blockchains and related technologies are still maturing, and several
questions related to their use and potential remain underexplored. Several issues require particular
consideration in future research, including anonymity, scalability and stability of the data repository. This
research took as example OECD data repositories, precisely to make the point that more research and more
dialogue between the research and policymaking community is needed to embrace the challenges and
opportunities blockchain technology generates. Several questions that this research prompts have not been
addressed. For instance, the question of how the sharing economy concept for the specifics of the case could
be employed in the context of blockchain has not been dealt with.
Practical implications –The practical implications of the research presented here can be summarized in
two ways. On the one hand, by suggesting how a combination of decentralized file systems and an open
blockchain, such as Ethereum supporting smart contracts, can ascertain that artifacts are shared, this paper
paves the way toward a discussion on how to make this approach and solution reality. The approach and
architecture proposed in this paper would provide a way to increase the scope of the reuse of statistical data
and results and thus would improve the effectiveness of decision making as well as the transparency of the
evidence supporting policy.
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 37 No. 1, 2019
pp. 30-42
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/LHT-12-2017-0276
Received 21 December 2017
Revised 30 March 2018
8June2018
Accepted 15 June 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
30
LHT
37,1
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