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Multidisciplinary Blockchain Research and Design: A Case Study in Moving from Theory to Pedagogy to Practice

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Diversity, Divergence, Dialogue (iConference 2021)

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Abstract

The application of multidisciplinary theoretical models in an emerging field of study like blockchain can improve both collaborative learning and solution design, especially by creating a valuable shared language for colleagues from different disciplinary areas. This tripartite paper traces a journey from theory to practice by outlining the origin and development of the theoretical ‘three layer trust model’ for blockchain technologies, discussing the pedagogical utility of this model within a virtual education setting, and describing a student’s application of the learned model in a technical blockchain product design setting. By providing a thorough grounding in the complex multidisciplinary balance involved in designing blockchain systems (and adding the autoethnographic reflections of participants in this multi-setting focal design application) the following paper supports the potential value of such theoretical models to establish shared language for complex concepts across disciplinary divides. Future research directions are suggested to establish greater validity for the concepts presented within this paper and dive deeper into the foundations of its many referenced disciplines.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For further introductory reading on this topic see [20,21,22].

  2. 2.

    Representing social, informational, technical, and governance sub-systems, with the temporal and environmental axes in mind as well. See Appendix A for more details.

  3. 3.

    For example, our conscious decision to follow Privacy-by-Design principles whenever possible, a choice that was bolstered by informational sub-system questions from Appendix A.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Information, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Chelsea K. Palmer & Victoria L. Lemieux

  2. Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Chris Rowell

Authors
  1. Chelsea K. Palmer
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  2. Chris Rowell
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  3. Victoria L. Lemieux
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chelsea K. Palmer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Katharina Toeppe

  2. Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Hui Yan

  3. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Samuel Kai Wah Chu

Appendix A: Question-Led DLT System Design Framework

Appendix A: Question-Led DLT System Design Framework

System Goal

  • What is the stated purpose of the DLT system?

  • How does the stated purpose support social trust?

  • What problem(s) should this system solve?

  • What use cases is the system designed to support?

System Constraints

  • What behaviors must the system be designed not to tolerate?

  • What is the system’s space of permissible actions?

System Capabilities

  • What capabilities must the system possess in order to achieve its goal within prescribed constraints?

Environment

  • Is the environment in which the DLT system operates relatively homogeneous or is it more heterogenous?

  • What assumptions about the environment does the DLT system make in its design/operation?

  • What aspects of the environment does the system rely upon? At what points and for what purposes are these relied upon?

  • How aligned with all aspects of the environment is the DLT system?

  • What elements from the environment influence or constrain designers of the DLT system?

  • What elements from the environment influence or constrain system actors or actants?

Social Sub-system

  • Who are the social actors in the DLT? How are they identified/represented? How are their identities regulated?

  • How does the DLT system empower or constrain their agency? What types of actions of social actors are forbidden, encouraged, or tolerated?

  • Where is power located among social actors?

  • What values are important to the social actors in this system?

  • What expectations do we have of the behavior of the social actors?

  • What actions will or might they take? How are these actions expected to impact upon others?

  • When is the consent, permission, and authority of social actors needed, granted, or assumed?

  • Will some social actors act on behalf of others? On what (moral, legal?) ground do they implement the will of others? Which others?

  • How do social actors need to exercise (or do they exercise) discretion when conflict arises?

Informational Sub-system

  • How does the ledger serve to support social trust in the context of the DLT system?

  • What data is captured/flows through the system to support the system goal? What records are generated to support the system goal, either on ledger or off ledger?

  • How are the data/records actants in the system identified and how are their identities regulated?

  • What data and/or records must the system store? (What are the legal or regulatory obligations?)

  • What data and/or records must not be stored in the system? (For purposes of privacy, financial risk management, or corporate policy.)

  • Are there data and/or records that require special consideration? For example, are there data and/or records containing personally identifiable information that requires special treatment under law?

  • Are there data and/or records that must not be kept indefinitely?

  • Where are records stored? How are they propagated across networks? How are the intellectual components of the record assembled?

Technical Sub-system

  • What are physical actants in the DLT system (e.g., sensors, vehicles)?

  • How are the technical actants in the system identified and how are their identities regulated?

  • How do the physical actants serve to support social trust in the context of the DLT system? What capabilities and properties do they require to support the system goal?

  • What is the system architecture?

  • What is the network architecture/topography?

  • What social actors control the physical actants in the DLT system? How do these social actors empower or constrain the activity of physical actants?

  • What level of authority/authorization do the physical actants have?

Governance Sub-system

  • How much reliance will there be on internal or self-regulating governance versus external governance under normal operating conditions? Under abnormal operating conditions?

  • How will consensus decisions be made among technical, informational, and social actants/actors?

  • What incentives are or will need to be put in place so that the consensus mechanism operates in a manner that supports the goal of the system?

  • How should decision management rights and decision control rights be allocated among various interacting components (where social, informational, or technical)?

  • How will disagreement about those decisions be resolved?

Temporality

  • What known future changes will the system have to be able to respond to?

  • What mechanisms need to be put in place to assure the longevity of the system?

  • Could future events bring about consequences where the platform ought to be completely replace or cease operation?

  • How will the governance sub-system address actors/actants’ changing relationships to the system over time?

  • How will risk factors be addressed, including those that lie unknown in the future and that may present existential or systematic risk?

  • How has/does power shift among social actors over time?

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Palmer, C.K., Rowell, C., Lemieux, V.L. (2021). Multidisciplinary Blockchain Research and Design: A Case Study in Moving from Theory to Pedagogy to Practice. In: Toeppe, K., Yan, H., Chu, S.K.W. (eds) Diversity, Divergence, Dialogue. iConference 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12645. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71292-1_46

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