Blockchain Revolution

Securing Infrastructure
By intelligently partnering with the private sector and other stakeholders, the
government of Estonia has created a public sector infrastructure that enables much
greater convenience and access to government, banks, public transit, and other
services for its citizenry. In addition to convenience, Estonia also gains competitive
advantage in the global economy, attracting business and investment to the country.
Governments already provide services to neighboring jurisdictions (fire and
ambulance); outsource to other jurisdictions (data processing); deliver services on
behalf of another jurisdiction (federal government processing income taxes on behalf
of both the national and provincial/state governments); and sharing services (sharing
office buildings).
Estonia’s e-Resident service is useful for individuals anywhere in the world who
need an official ID to launch a business, particularly online. Estonia is positioning
itself to provide services to foreign citizens that other countries are choosing not to
provide. While the services available now are fairly limited, there is no limit to other
government services ultimately becoming digital from end to end. For example,
publicly funded libraries that are free to local residents could offer access to their
digital collections to nonresidents and scholars anywhere in the world for a small fee.
What other services might lend themselves to similar treatment, especially digital
services where data management and integrity are important?
Offering government services beyond national borders often comes with
regulatory hurdles. However, we live in an increasingly globalized world where many
of our biggest challenges are not exclusive to one jurisdiction. Global problems
require new models for problem solving, for working with other stakeholders. Policy
that treats borders as porous, combined with blockchain technology such as the
Internet of Things, could do more to address big, intractable issues.