Leveraging Blockchain to Reduce Inequalities

Blockchain has evolved significantly by providing advanced features. 

Numerous advancements have led us to be on the cusp of transitioning to the next generation of the World Wide Web (Web 3.0,) and the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR). This article will highlight the challenges, opportunities, and future direction for blockchain technologies to reduce inequities and advance the UN SDG 2030 and UN SDG 2050 agendas.

Challenges of Blockchain in Reducing Inequalities

While blockchain technology holds great promise, it still faces several challenges that must be overcome for widespread adoption. We must engage in global collaborative efforts to overcome these barriers and to fully unlock the ROI of blockchain technology deployments. Therefore, it is crucial to address these proactively and allocate sufficient resources to sustain the solutions identified long-term.

From a technical standpoint, scalability, interoperability, cyber security, and privacy remain critical focus areas. However, non-technical barriers impede blockchain adoption, including legal and regulatory complexities, costs, socio-economic disparities, educational divide, financial divide, literacy divide, lack of digital trust, ethical concerns and resistance to change. Overcoming these challenges requires comprehensive solutions that bridge legal and regulatory frameworks, address cost concerns, promote digital inclusivity, and build or restore societal trust in blockchain technology.

A few of these non-technical barriers transcend generations, industries, and geographic boundaries, such as an ongoing digital divide, and lack of digital literacy or fluency. While extremely difficult to resolve, it is worth emphasizing that even minor improvements in these can have a positive butterfly effect. Similarly, targeted investments in digital infrastructure alongside initiatives that promote digital inclusion and provide access to technology and training for marginalized communities can significantly reduce inequalities.

Opportunities of Blockchain in Reducing Inequalities

Blockchain technology presents immense opportunities for reducing inequalities through several pathways, such as: education, employment, digital identity, ESG, and DEI. In education, it can revolutionize credential verification, enabling secure and tamper-proof verification of academic achievements. In employment, blockchain-based platforms can enhance trust, transparency, and efficiency in hiring processes. Furthermore, blockchain can potentially advance Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practices by enabling transparent tracking of sustainability efforts, supply chain management, and carbon footprint reduction. Additionally, blockchain technology can play a pivotal role in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by facilitating transparent and unbiased recruitment and decision-making processes. It also offers the potential for global digital identity solutions, empowering individuals with control over their data while ensuring privacy and security. Finally, building blockchain-enabled international digital governance frameworks can enhance cooperation, transparency, and accountability among nations, fostering sustainable and inclusive development.

Education

Blockchain technology can create a more inclusive and accessible education ecosystem by providing decentralized and transparent learning records. This can help bridge the skills gap and improve the employability of individuals, particularly those from underserved communities. By offering a secure and verifiable record of educational achievements, blockchain technology can provide greater recognition of non-traditional learning experiences and promote lifelong learning. Additionally, blockchain-based educational platforms and marketplaces can provide learners from diverse backgrounds with access to high-quality educational resources and opportunities. This can reduce educational inequalities and equip individuals with the tools to participate fully in the digital economy.

Digital Identity

By providing secure and decentralized solutions that offer greater control over personal data, blockchain-based solutions can help prevent identity theft and other forms of fraud by using cryptographic techniques to secure personal data and identities. Additionally, blockchain-based identity solutions can help reduce the need for intermediaries and central authorities, increasing the efficiency and accessibility of identity management. Dynamic, informed digital consent is another critical consideration in blockchain-based solutions. Blockchain technology can give individuals greater control over their personal data, enabling them to manage and share their data transparently and ethically. This can be achieved by using smart contracts and other blockchain-based tools to allow individuals to specify the terms and conditions under which their data is shared. Conversely, it can enable individuals to revoke their consent and retract their data anytime, giving them greater control over their digital identities. This can help address privacy and data protection concerns while empowering individuals to make informed decisions about how their data is used.

Financial Inclusion

Access to funding is another area where blockchain technology can help reduce economic inequalities and promote financial inclusion. Alternative investment vehicles such as angel investments, venture capital (VC), corporate venture capital (CVC), crowdfunding, Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), and bonds can provide individuals and businesses with access to capital in a more efficient and decentralized manner. This can stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly in regions with limited conventional funding sources.

DEI

By unlocking new opportunities for marginalized groups and promoting greater transparency and accountability in a wide range of industries, blockchain can enhance diversity, equity and inclusion. One of the key ways that blockchain can enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion is by providing greater access to financial services and enabling individuals and businesses to participate in the global economy more effectively. Blockchain-based solutions can promote greater financial inclusion by reducing the barriers to entry and encouraging individuals and companies to transact more securely and transparently. By reducing reliance on centralized intermediaries and enabling greater participation from a broader range of stakeholders, blockchain technologies can promote more equitable and inclusive decision-making processes, encouraging greater involvement from traditionally marginalized groups.

Employment

Perhaps most impactful is blockchain technology’s potential to revolutionize global employment dynamics, by fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion while mitigating economic inequalities. By leveraging blockchain, individuals from underrepresented groups can showcase their skills and accomplishments in a verifiable and trustworthy manner. Traditional employment systems often rely on subjective evaluations, bias, and opaque processes, disadvantaged marginalized communities. Blockchain-based credentials and smart contracts can establish a decentralized marketplace where individuals can transparently present their qualifications and connect with employers on an equal footing. This empowers candidates who might have needed to be noticed in traditional systems due to biases or discriminatory practices.

Financial Inclusion

Additionally, blockchain technology can facilitate financial inclusion, reducing economic disparities. By enabling secure and direct peer-to-peer transactions, blockchain-based platforms eliminate the need for intermediaries and associated fees. This allows individuals in economically disadvantaged regions to access job opportunities and receive fair compensation without high transaction costs. Blockchain-based microfinance and lending platforms can extend financial services to those without access to traditional banking systems, fostering entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

ESG

Blockchain technology has emerged as a powerful tool with the potential to facilitate increased adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and drive the growth of the net-zero economy. With its inherent transparency, immutability, and decentralized consensus, blockchain can enhance trust, accountability, and traceability across ESG practices, enabling organizations to measure, report, and manage their sustainability efforts effectively. Blockchain's ability to create decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) also promotes inclusive decision-making processes. DAOs leverage blockchain's consensus mechanisms to enable voting and governance structures that give individuals a voice in shaping organizational policies and resource allocation. This participatory model ensures that decisions are made collectively, reducing power imbalances and creating a more equitable and inclusive environment.

Net Zero

Blockchain-based platforms can enable peer-to-peer energy trading while ensuring transparency, efficiency, and fair pricing. In addition, decentralized energy marketplaces can incentivize the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure and empower consumers to actively participate in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Future Directions of Blockchain in Reducing Inequalities

Looking ahead, combining blockchain technology with other frontier technologies like General Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), Cognitive AI, Semantic Web, Digital Twins, or Quantum technologies can act as a catalyst for the emergence of new types of economies. 

A sustained, blockchain-centric tech diplomacy is vital and can pave the way for establishing inclusive regulatory frameworks, global standards, and alignment with the United Nations 2030 and 2050 agendas. Embracing tech diplomacy in the blockchain ecosystem is crucial for ensuring long-term success and reaping the full potential of this transformative technology in an equitable and globally beneficial manner. 

A global collaborative effort to draft and deploy a Blockchain Code of Ethics and a Blockchain Bill of Rights for global digital citizens living in smart cities would be vital for a blockchain-enabled democracy. The transformative power of blockchain and international cooperation holds immense potential to create a sustainable, secure, and equitable digital future for all.