Chapter 12 Virtual Currencies in Modern Societies: Challenges and Opportunities

Mora, Higinio; López, Francisco Alarcón; Mendoza-Tello, Julio C.; Morales, Mario R.

doi:10.1108/978-1-78756-983-620191012

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, the phenomenon has also ultimately highlighted the potential requirements for establishing regulatory frameworks to protect digital rights. Such frameworks cover demands on privacy, ownership (Calzada, 2018a(Calzada, , 2018b, trust (Mendoza-Tello et al, 2019), access, ethics, transparency (Brunswicker et al, 2019), algorithmic automatisation (Chiodo, 2019) and ultimately, democratic accountability (Mair et al, 2019;Mora et al, 2019b;Wong, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data ecosystems for protecting European citizens’ digital rights

Calzada

Almirall

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose This paper aims to spark a debate by presenting the need for developing data ecosystems in Europe that meet the social and public good while committing to democratic and ethical standards; suggesting a taxonomy of data infrastructures and institutions to support this need; using the case study of Barcelona as the flagship city trailblazing a critical policy agenda of smart cities to show the limitations and contradictions of the current state of affairs; and ultimately, proposing a preliminary roadmap for institutional and governance empowerment that could enable effective data ecosystems in Europe. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on lessons learned in previous publications available in the sustainability (Calzada, 2018), regions (Calzada and Cowie, 2017; Calzada, 2019), Zenodo (Calzada and Almirall, 2019), RSA Journal (Calzada, 2019) and IJIS (Calzada, 2020) journals and ongoing and updated fieldwork about the Barcelona case study stemming from an intensive fieldwork action research that started in 2017. The methodology used in these publications was based on the mixed-method technique of triangulation via action research encompassing in-depth interviews, direct participation in policy events and desk research. The case study was identified as the most effective methodology. Findings This paper, drawing from lessons learned from the Barcelona case study, elucidates on the need to establish pan-European data infrastructures and institutions – collectively data ecosystems – to protect citizens’ digital rights in European cities and regions. The paper reveals three main priorities proposing a preliminary roadmap for local and regional governments, namely, advocacy, suggesting the need for city and regional networks; governance, requiring guidance and applied, neutral and non-partisan research in policy; and pan-European agencies, leading and mobilising data infrastructures and institutions at the European level. Research limitations/implications From the very beginning, this paper acknowledges its ambition, and thus its limitations and clarifies its attempt to provide just an overview rather than a deep research analysis. This paper presents several research limitations and implications regarding the scope. The paper starts by presenting the need for data ecosystems, then structures this need through two taxonomies, all illustrated through the Barcelona case study and finally, concludes with a roadmap consisting of three priorities. The paper uses previous published and ongoing fieldwork findings in Barcelona as a way to lead, and thus encourage the proliferation of more cases through Cities Coalition for Digital Rights (CCDR). Practical implications This paper presents practical implications for local and regional authorities of the CCDR network. As such, the main three priorities of the preliminary roadmap could help those European cities and regions already part of the CCDR network to establish and build operational data ecosystems by establishing a comprehensive pan-European policy from the bottom-up that aligns with the timely policy developments advocated by the European Commission. This paper can inspire policymakers by providing guidelines to better coordinate among a diverse set of cities and regions in Europe. Social implications The leading data governance models worldwide from China and the USA and the advent of Big Data are dramatically reshaping citizens’ relationship with data. Against this backdrop and directly influenced by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Europe has, perhaps, for the first time, spoken with its own voice by blending data and smart city research and policy formulations. Inquiries and emerging insights into the potential urban experiments on data ecosystems, consisting of data infrastructures and institutions operating in European cities and regions, become increasingly crucial. Thus, the main social implications are for those multi-stakeholder policy schemes already operating in European cities and regions. Originality/value In previous research, data ecosystems were not directly related to digital rights amidst the global digital geopolitical context and, more specifically, were not connected to the two taxonomies (on data infrastructures and institutions) that could be directly applied to a case study, like the one presented about Barcelona. Thus, this paper shows novelty and originality by also opening up (based on previous fieldwork action research) a way to take strategic action to establish a pan-European strategy among cities and regions through three specific priorities. This paper can ultimately support practice and lead to new research and policy avenues.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data ecosystems for protecting European citizens’ digital rights

Calzada

Almirall

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The first VC was Bitcoin (Nakamoto, 2008), which provided the technological foundations for cryptocurrencies whose transactions are based on the reliability of cryptographic methods provided by network (Mukhopadhyay et al, 2016) and in the concept of blockchains (BC) that stores electronic records in a distributed, immutable and verifiable database by the entire community (Efanov and Roschin, 2018). The possibilities that VC have could revolutionize the way in which it works; public administration, for example, could take advantage of the potential of this innovation with disruptive effects and consider its advantages in modern societies (Mora et al, 2019b).…”

Section: Cryptocurrencies and Their Adoptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The interest in cryptocurrencies can also be motivated since several countries, especially in Latin America, maintain inflationary currencies, which makes citizens look for long-term alternatives as a value reserve (Krause, 2016). In general, governments recognize the potential benefits that VCs can bring (Mora et al, 2019b), even several European and Asian countries are looking for ways to adopt cryptocurrencies (Hughes et al, 2019), although some regulatory challenges have yet to be overcome. This adoption can be enhanced through social networks as a mechanism that allows the introduction of cryptocurrencies into society (Mendoza-Tello et al, 2018) and ease of use on platforms as this is a generator of user confidence (Mendoza-Tello et al, 2019).…”

Section: Cryptocurrencies and Their Adoptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social cryptocurrencies as model for enhancing sustainable development

Mora

Morales-Morales

Pujol

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Growing inequality and socioeconomic and environmental degradation concerns forces us to think about how innovative technologies can contribute to reduce this problem. This study aims to analyze the potential of social cryptocurrencies to enhance the community development and cooperation between small businesses of the near environment. The evolution of these technology-based schemes could be key factors for generating innovative social enterprises, improving the quality of life in the community; in this way generate a conceptual model to sustainable development, while being more transparent, efficient and scalable as they are supported by technological applications. Design/methodology/approach Based on an in-depth study of the relevant literature, a conceptual model was designed. The concept of social cryptocurrency is proposed as a new approach to virtual currencies for social purposes and sustainable development. Findings The key findings point out that actors such as innovation and social entrepreneurship will come together in a new generation of social currencies, extending cryptocurrency technology to social business domains. Research limitations/implications The impact of this will result in a better quality of life for society and the achievement of several sustainable development goals. However, a limitation would be that its scope depends on certain characteristics of the local environment. Furthermore, the proposed model will require validation in later phases through social experiments. Originality/value The main contribution of this paper is in structuring a formal model that, based on empirical experiences and the use of the technology that underlies cryptocurrencies, proposes a set of constituent elements and characterizes them to contribute to achievement of sustainable development.

show abstract

“…Es la primera aplicación desarrollada con tal tecnología y se piensa que fue creada en 2008 por Satoshi Nakamoto (Islam et al, 2019). La escalabilidad es una de sus desventajas, lo que ocasiona que se torne lenta (Mora et al, 2019); no obstante, usa un mecanismo conocido como Lightning Network que proporciona pagos ágiles fuera de la cadena (Zhang & Lee, 2019).…”

Section: Criptomonedaunclassified

“…BC brinda transparencia en la supervisión de las operaciones; sin embargo, esta transparencia puede comprometer la privacidad en particular cuando se refiere a datos personales y puede resultar beneficiosa para aquellas personas dedicadas a realizar actividades ilícitas como el lavado de dinero, venta de mercancías ilegales, delitos informáticos, etc. Actualmente, existe una carencia generalizada de leyes que regulen el comercio de criptomonedas y carteras digitales, lo cual causa vulnerabilidades en los derechos legales de los consumidores y población en general (Mora et al, 2019).…”

Section: Posicionamiento De Los Métodos De Consenso Por Convenio Y Ponderaciónunclassified

Análisis Comparativo de Métodos de Consenso sobre Plataformas Blockchain

Iza

Sampedro

Morales-Morales

et al. 2021

rte

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

En la presente investigación se plantea realizar un análisis comparativo entre los diferentes métodos de consenso existentes, los cuales son los encargados de registrar, validar y realizar transacciones dentro de la tecnología Blockchain. Se identifica la presencia de propiedades consideradas como esenciales para su aplicabilidad y eficacia. Se considera características relevantes que permitan determinar cuál o cuáles de los diferentes métodos de consenso ayudan a mejorar problemas de escalabilidad o seguridad que tiene, hasta el momento, esta tecnología en cada plataforma. Se determina el valor de cada una de las características y posteriormente se asigna ponderaciones. Cada una de las características consideradas para la comparación no poseen la misma relevancia, por lo cual, se realiza una nueva ponderación que permite obtener resultados de acuerdo al valor e importancia de éstas en cada uno de los protocolos. Finalmente, se determina que los protocolos con mejores características son Tolerancia Delegada de Fallas Bizantinas, Prueba de Participación Delegada y Prueba de Trabajo; siendo Tolerancia Delegada de Fallas Bizantinas el mejor método por realizar 10.000 transacciones por segundo con baja latencia y un bajo consumo de recursos, entre las características más relevantes.

show abstract

Chapter 12 Virtual Currencies in Modern Societies: Challenges and Opportunities

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Data ecosystems for protecting European citizens’ digital rights

Data ecosystems for protecting European citizens’ digital rights

Social cryptocurrencies as model for enhancing sustainable development

Análisis Comparativo de Métodos de Consenso sobre Plataformas Blockchain

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About