About this Research Topic

Background

The manifold potentials of blockchain technologies have created a lot of interest among researchers and practitioners. When it comes to blockchain, current discussions in academic communities are characterized by a variety of opinions, ranging from exuberant enthusiasm to profound skepticism. Objective academic research is therefore needed to rigorously assess how blockchain and related technologies can potentially transform our economies and the ways in which business is done.

The implications of blockchain technologies are expected to be industry-spanning and are not restricted by geographical boundaries. While technological innovation can be considered to be the main driver of blockchain-induced changes, a multitude of other factors also need to be considered in order to comprehensively assess ongoing transformation processes. Among others, these factors include legislative responses and the inertia caused by existing legacy systems. The thorough investigation of how these factors, alone or in combination, trigger economic and business changes is the main focus of this research topic.

We welcome submissions that investigate in an academically sound manner the economic and business implications of blockchain technologies. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are welcome, as are carefully conducted case studies, literature reviews, and conceptual papers. Submissions to this topic need to clearly describe the expected impact of blockchain technologies and how the authors derived their conclusions. Theory-based papers are appreciated, especially if the authors make a substantial extension of current theorizing. In this research topic we explicitly welcome interdisciplinary research that helps to shed light on blockchain technologies from various angles.

Articles published within this Research Topic in 2019 are eligible for the $10,000 “Yun Family Frontiers in Blockchain Prize".

For more details, please see our blog post here:

https://blog.frontiersin.org/2018/12/12/frontiers-in-blockchain-introduces-new-journal-wide-10000-best-paper-prize/

Keywords: Blockchain, Distributed Ledger Technology, Economic implications, Business implications, Innovation

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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