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Corporate Capture of Blockchain Governance

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  • Ferreira, Daniel
  • Li, Jin
  • Nikolowa, Radoslawa

Abstract

We develop a theory of blockchain governance. In our model, the proof-of-work system, which is the most common set of rules for validating transactions in blockchains, creates an industrial ecosystem with specialized suppliers of goods and services. We analyze the two-way interactions between blockchain governance and the market structure of the industries in the blockchain ecosystem. Our main result is that the proof-of-work system leads to a situation where the governance of the blockchain is captured by a large firm.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferreira, Daniel & Li, Jin & Nikolowa, Radoslawa, 2019. "Corporate Capture of Blockchain Governance," CEPR Discussion Papers 13493, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:13493
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    2. Lambrecht, Marco & Sofianos, Andis & Xu, Yilong, 2020. "Does mining fuel bubbles? An experimental study on cryptocurrency markets," Working Papers 0690, University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics.
    3. Niu, Baozhuang & Mu, Zihao & Cao, Bin & Gao, Jie, 2021. "Should multinational firms implement blockchain to provide quality verification?," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    4. Thong, Lik Hong, 2019. "A discussion on performance risk of Dunkin's Brand," MPRA Paper 97266, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 30 Nov 2019.
    5. Hyeon-Jae Kim & Oh-Suk Yang, 2025. "Linking ESG Management to Corporate Success: The Influence of Board Composition," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-24, January.
    6. John E.H.J. FoEh & Diah Ayu Permatasari & Jhonni Sinaga, 2022. "Corporate Governance in Need of Reforms: What Areas of the System Should Be Reformed First and How?," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(4), pages 73-81.
    7. Li Mingqian, 2024. "Why Transaction Cost Economics Failed and How to Fix It," Papers 2405.09087, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2025.
    8. Fahad Asghar & Palwasha Farooq & Muhammad Nadim & Zain ul Abidin & Fazli Wadood, 2023. "Global Financial Crisis: A critical study on Role of Auditor’s and Stakeholder," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 9(2), pages 452-458.
    9. Angelo de Sousa Santarlacci & Humberto Angelo & Álvaro Nogueira de Souza & Maria de Fátima de Brito Lima & Maísa Santos Joaquim & Eder Pereira Miguel & Júlia de Oliveira Carneiro, 2024. "Benefit Sharing Governance Framework: Pathways for Financial Benefit Sharing in Traditional Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-24, March.
    10. Muhammad Kaleem Khan & Chunhui Huo & R. M. Ammar Zahid & Umer Sahil Maqsood, 2024. "The automated sustainability auditor: Does artificial intelligence curtail greenwashing behavior in Chinese firms?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 9015-9039, December.
    11. Cong, Lin William & Li, Ye & Wang, Neng, 2022. "Token-based platform finance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(3), pages 972-991.
    12. Igor Makarov & Antoinette Schoar, 2022. "Cryptocurrencies and Decentralised Finance," BIS Working Papers 1061, Bank for International Settlements.
    13. Archana Saxena & Rajesh Singh & Anita Gehlot & Shaik Vaseem Akram & Bhekisipho Twala & Aman Singh & Elisabeth Caro Montero & Neeraj Priyadarshi, 2022. "Technologies Empowered Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG): An Industry 4.0 Landscape," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Olfa Ben Salah, 2024. "Analyzing the Causal Relationship Between Tax Avoidance and Earnings Management: Evidence from The STOXX Europe 600 Index," Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 23(1), pages 29-49, January.
    15. Richard Arhinful & Leviticus Mensah & Jerry Seth Owusu-Sarfo, 2024. "The impact of corporate governance on debt service obligations: evidence from automobile companies listed on the Tokyo stock exchange," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(4), pages 501-519, December.
    16. Yuanyuan Wang & Jijie Ma & Kun Zhang, 2024. "Can digital transformation reduce corporate illegality?," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(2), pages 1090-1109, July.
    17. Agostino Capponi & Sveinn Olafsson & Humoud Alsabah, 2021. "Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrencies: Does Mining Technology Undermine Decentralization?," Papers 2106.09783, arXiv.org.
    18. Bokolo Anthony Jnr., 2022. "Toward a collaborative governance model for distributed ledger technology adoption in organizations," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 276-294, June.
    19. Sonia Yasin & Muhammad Irfan & Muhammad Shaukat Malik & Fasiha Nargis, 2022. "The Relationship between Executive Remuneration and Organizations Efficiency," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 8(3), pages 59-70, December.
    20. Chunsheng Wang & Jiatong Weng & Jingshi He & Xiaopin Wang & Hong Ding & Quanxin Zhu, 2024. "Stability Analysis of the Credit Market in Supply Chain Finance Based on Stochastic Evolutionary Game Theory," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-16, June.
    21. Dutta, Pankaj & Choi, Tsan-Ming & Somani, Surabhi & Butala, Richa, 2020. "Blockchain technology in supply chain operations: Applications, challenges and research opportunities," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    22. Dongshu Jiang & ZhiXing Ni & Yuxiu Chen & Xue Chen & Chaohong Na, 2022. "Influence of Financial Shared Services on the Corporate Debt Cost under Digitalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-17, December.
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    24. Quang Linh Huynh & Mohammad Enamul Hoque & Perengki Susanto & Waqas Ahmad Watto & Maryam Ashraf, 2022. "Does Financial Leverage Mediates Corporate Governance and Firm Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-20, October.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Governance; Blockchain; Industrial ecosystem; Proof-of-work;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • M20 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - General

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