Turning Buzzword into Public Service: A Case Study of European Blockchain Projects

Public sector organizations are continuously experimenting with how to deliver public services using blockchains, despite the hyperbole and overblown expectations still surrounding the technology. We conduct a case study approach of several early blockchain projects to understand the role and impact of expectations and hype for actors in these projects regarding how they interpret technology, legitimize their decisions, and mobilize resources in early-stage innovation activities. The empirical cases are selected from the European public sector and research is conducted in an R&D project where academic institutions and public sector organizations collaborate to increase knowledge about public sector blockchains. In this paper, we contribute a conceptualization of blockchain technology as an organizing vision for these public sector organizations. Through this lens, we identify and structure how organizations engage with this emerging technology