Blockchain and the worst enemy of Sustainable Development Goals
In previous articles, I mentioned that blockchain technology is increasingly mentioned in academic papers related to sustainable development.
As with any technology, its opportunities are pointed out, but also its risks. I will write about it later. For the moment I would like to focus on the main aspect where I believe blockchain technology presents the greatest opportunity:
SDG16: 'Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels'
Do You want to know the worst enemy of sustainable development?
It's easy. It is repeatedly mentioned in every international forum or congress. Furthermore, it is pointed out by all multilevel institutions, from municipalities around the world to states and international organizations.
Place your bets: Climate change? War? Hunger?…
What would you say is the worst enemy of sustainable development that is mentioned by all governmental institutions around the world? Do you want to know? It is none of the above. It is…
Corruption
Institutional corruption is the most mentioned enemy by the institutions themselves, at all levels and all over the world. Sure, there are countries, governments, and institutions with more cases of corruption than others. But that does not really matter. Each has its own levels of corruption, and they all point to it as the worst enemy of sustainable development.
Institutional corruption can happen little by little and spread like a plague. Or it may even be at the very origin of a particular government that has come to power through corruption. It may be systematic, or it may be isolated cases. None of that matters.
Institutional corruption hinders, and even prevents, any attempt to implement any measure, any economic initiative, any investment, any legal safety, any kind of justice. Corruption weakens institutions.
They become dependent on corruption, on 'payments under the table' to obtain privileges, on investments for political campaigns. In short: everything that corruption touches ends up depending on corruption itself.
But the worst thing is that when corruption spreads, institutions lose credibility and the trust of citizens. And worse still, trust in any democratic principle is lost.
'They are all the same. They all steal. Nothing matters who are elected. Why vote if everything is rotten?'
Surely you have heard these words at some time, whatever country you are from. And applied to your national government, your city, judges, politicians or any other institution.
That is the worst enemy of sustainable development. Corruption, which leads to loss of public confidence.
Under these conditions, little or nothing can be done to implement credible and effective measures for sustainable development.
In my opinion, (similar to that of many academic articles around SDGs and Blockchain), the main virtue of this technology is that it allows accountability of public resources, of votes, of the activities of institutions (government, justice, health, education…).
It is very difficult to divert funds if all citizens have access to the movements of public resources. It is very difficult to manipulate an electronic vote in the blockchain. It is very difficult to hide judicial decisions, to make opaque business with health or education resources...
The political opposition, international organizations, NGOs, associations of data activists, and even ordinary citizens can audit and check the proper use of public resources if they so wish.
This is why I find no reason why it should not be implemented in all multilevel institutions. Except one: they do not want transparency, because they are corrupt institutions.
Beyond the risks of the technological implementation of blockchain, I consider it an opportunity to fight corruption, to expand justice and democratic values and to clean the image of institutions, increasingly weakened by corruption cases. The worst enemy of sustainable development, according to the institutions themselves.
