Policy in the Pub: An Introduction to the Economics of Blockchain

An Introduction to the Economics of Blockchain

Blockchain is a new institutional technology that enables networks to maintain distributed ledgers of information. As a new technology of governance, it competes with existing forms of economic organisation, such as hierarchical firms and nation states, to solve economic problems. Dr Allen will introduce blockchain technology and explain how to understand the blockchain economy, drawing upon institutional and transaction-cost economics frameworks. He will explore the implications of blockchain for supply chains and global trade, where blockchain acts as new digital trade infrastructure to coordinate information about goods as they move, and raise some of the policy questions as the blockchain economy develops.

About the speaker

Dr Darcy Allen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub. His research focuses on the economics and political economy of blockchain technology and he has published across academic journals in economics, law and political economy. Darcy is a regular contributor to the print and electronic media, has appeared as an expert witness before parliamentary inquiries at the state and federal level, and sits on the editorial boards of several academic journals. His book, Cryptodemocracy: How Blockchain Can Radically Expand Democratic Choice, was published earlier this year. His PhD thesis in economics was passed without revisions in 2018 and awarded the RMIT university-wide prize for research excellence.