What is it about?
Can blockchain make digital participation genuinely democratic? This article explores how decentralized technologies reconfigure e-participation, opening new civic opportunities yet also introducing political risks that may deepen existing inequalities.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
This research is important because it explains how blockchain can change digital political participation beyond traditional, government controlled platforms. Most e-participation systems remain centralized, which limits trust, transparency, and genuine citizen influence. This study shows how decentralized technologies can support more credible, participatory, and collaborative forms of digital politics. At the same time, the research is important because it does not treat blockchain as a guaranteed solution. It identifies concrete risks, including new forms of political inequality, weak regulation, and exclusion of less digitally skilled citizens. By combining theory with evidence from practitioners, the study offers realistic guidance for policymakers, civic technologists, and researchers seeking to design fairer and more trustworthy digital participation systems.
Perspectives
The research helps policymakers understand when blockchain can strengthen participation and when it may increase inequality, supporting more informed regulatory and design choices.
Dr Maxat Kassen
Astana IT University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Blockchain and E‐Participation: New Affordances and Challenges for Digital Political Participation, Journal of Public Affairs, October 2025, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/pa.70087.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
