Abstract
Poverty remains a critical problem in many developing countries. In response, ‘No Poverty’ is the first of seventeen 2030 sustainable development goal (SDG) adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015. Given the transparency and auditability features of blockchain, this emerging technology has been suggested as one solution for enabling the no poverty goal. Unfortunately, research on this topic is sparse. In this exploratory study, we investigate how the use of blockchain can facilitate targeted poverty alleviation using a case study of practices in the Chinese city of Guiyang. We apply Giddens’ structuration theory in the examination of the case data and find that (1) blockchain application is the outcome of structuration of structure (policies and resources) and the human agents (stakeholders); (2) blockchain enables empowerment and makes surveillance bi-directional; and (3) blockchain application is an ongoing process, with a comprehensive and dynamic viewpoint being critically important.
Recommended Citation
Ning, Xue; Ramirez, Ronald; and Khuntia, Jiban, "Technology to Shape Social Policy: Blockchain for Targeted Poverty Alleviation in China" (2019). AMCIS 2019 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2019/global_dev/global_dev/12
Technology to Shape Social Policy: Blockchain for Targeted Poverty Alleviation in China
Poverty remains a critical problem in many developing countries. In response, ‘No Poverty’ is the first of seventeen 2030 sustainable development goal (SDG) adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015. Given the transparency and auditability features of blockchain, this emerging technology has been suggested as one solution for enabling the no poverty goal. Unfortunately, research on this topic is sparse. In this exploratory study, we investigate how the use of blockchain can facilitate targeted poverty alleviation using a case study of practices in the Chinese city of Guiyang. We apply Giddens’ structuration theory in the examination of the case data and find that (1) blockchain application is the outcome of structuration of structure (policies and resources) and the human agents (stakeholders); (2) blockchain enables empowerment and makes surveillance bi-directional; and (3) blockchain application is an ongoing process, with a comprehensive and dynamic viewpoint being critically important.