Are we contributing? The who, when, where, and what of the Blockchain Research Landscape

Abstract

The blockchain technology discourse is diverse, and diffusion is increasing. It is estimated that USD39 billion will be spent within the blockchain ecosystem by 2025. One can view this as an exciting time to be involved in technology. Or another can potentially view this as wasteful spending and exploitation of scarce resources. Additionally, projects and start-ups fail at an alarming rate, making it critical to provide tools to aid decision-makers. Current blockchain research has not yet answered what blockchain is nor what situations it is best suited to. This paper problematises the current discourse on blockchain technology through a systematic literature review using bibliometric techniques. We present blockchain research on who, when, where, and what. This research also extends the multi-discipline discourse by synthesising how blockchain technology is enacted. We present a benchmarking tool for assessing solutions. Further research topics are also presented.