The current scenario and the evolutionary potential of the public sector enabled by blockchain technology.
Blockchain technology can play an essential role in the digitalization of the public sector, not only in terms of administrative streamlining and the resulting reduction of costs and time, but also because it allows a significant improvement in the levels of trust, transparency, security, reliability and accessibility of services.
Blockchain technology is, in fact, well-suited to contexts requiring the safe sharing of intact data validated by third parties.
Blockchain-based solutions enable the cooperation between citizens and Public Administrations, safely optimizing and automating processes in compliance with privacy and confidentiality requirements, and helping to create an ecosystem of efficiency and trust between the different players in the supply chain.
The analysis of relevant applications identified in Italy and in Europe makes it possible to understand the state of the art of blockchain technology in Public Administration. It also highlights the sector’s evolutionary potential arising from the synergy between blockchain and other emerging technologies.
This is why institutions have launched several trials to address inefficiencies in administrative processes, which are still predominantly paper-based and insufficiently digitalized.
The management of tenders for the allocation of public contracts must be based on transparency, competition and confidentiality (until a tender process has been completed) and merit (among the bidders).
Adopting a blockchain-based platform would improve the tender’s lifecycle by intrinsically guaranteeing the immutability and transparency of all tender documentation registered in the blockchain. It would also guarantee complete bidder confidentiality and offer inalterability, and it would make it possible to retroactively carry out security checks on the tender process.
The processes for the safeguarding of intellectual property and for registering tenders are currently still burdened by excessive bureaucracy and high costs.
Blockchain technology affords the opportunity to create a decentralized global register on which to record information relating to intellectual property. This would not only simplify the process – it would also reduce bureaucracy-related costs, help safeguard the inventor’s competitive advantage and strengthen the level of security of verification processes.
Digital identity is now a cornerstone for accessing Public Administration services. However, the protection of data linked to digital identity is often outsourced to different providers and stored in different databases with inconsistent security levels.
The goal of blockchain technology is to create a single decentralized institutional register that increases the degree of security via cryptographic systems, thereby providing users with better control of sensitive data and privacy, and allowing providers to duplicate data and due diligence process.
The need to track the movement of objects of any type is increasingly pressing in a digitalized world. With blockchain technology it is possible to track the transfer of property and goods in a way that is safe, transparent and certified. Supply chain transformation and product shipping can also be tracked.
Managing credentials, qualifications and any related fraud is a very relevant topic in Public Administration.
By enabling the creation of a single certified source for citizen education and training data, blockchain solutions make it possible to easily verify the accuracy of statements made and any information entered by individuals. They also facilitate the management of any expired certificates by using reporting systems and several supporting tools.
In Italy, Public Administrations have been interested in blockchain technology for some time, and have launched different experiments aimed at:
Increasing security in sharing sensitive personal data
Making the sharing and management of certified and complete documents more efficient
Automating the requirement verification processes for access to public tenders
Download the brochure to find out more about how the adoption of blockchain technology is impacting, benefitting and creating new models of development for Italy’s Public Administration and other identified applications.