What's blocking blockchain adoption in public governance?

Abstract

Much of the enthusiasm surrounding blockchain adoption in public governance is speculative, often overlooking real-world implementations as well as conflating sectors with distinct institutional and technical challenges. To ground the discussion, this chapter focuses on one specific application: blockchain-based voting (BBV), long regarded as a promising use case for the technology. We explore why, despite a substantial body of literature, BBV has seen very limited adoption in both public and private elections. The chapter then turns to voting practices within Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and the broader crypto industry, which may offer insights into possible future trajectories for BBV. We conclude by reflecting on the wider implications of blockchain technologies for the transformation of public governance.