Conclusion

Humanity’s greatest accomplishments are also humanity’s greatest collaborations. Humans are not the only species capable of teamwork, but we are particularly good at it. Unfortunately, some of the same traits that help us help each other also make us particularly adept at duplicity. The achievement of universally beneficial ends can be obscured or inhibited by self-interest and deception. By facilitating transparency and verity, blockchain technology can create opportunities for collaboration that were previously rendered impossible by boundaries, both digital and physical, and mistrust.

The technology’s benefits promise to be vast. It will provide the opportunity to facilitate the inclusion of billions left behind by economic progress. Blockchains may also allow for greater coordination among impact organizations, reducing redundant and ineffective spending and increasing the visibility of those having the biggest impact. Greater efficiency and transparency in governance will increase institutional trust and accountability while empowering individuals to make informed, independent decisions about their own data. Digitized records and interoperable government services will equip governments for the twenty-first century.

Blockchains are not a panacea. As such, the decision to implement them should not be a foregone conclusion. But, in one capacity or another, blockchain will likely play a meaningful role in restoring trust in global civil, governmental, and charitable institutions. More importantly, it will facilitate innovations which improve people’s lives. Someday, this technology’s benefits will be taken for granted; it will become as mundane and indispensable as scanners and spreadsheets. Only when reports like this have become irrelevant will blockchain technology have begun to reach its potential. The contributors to this blueprint hope to move the world a little closer to that eventuality.