ABSTRACT

We study the emerging innovation frontier of decentralised applications (dApps) and blockchain platforms. We describe the fundamental features of decentralised blockchain platforms and illustrate the growth of the dApp economy as well as the emerging variety of blockchain platforms. We also characterise the dApp ecosystem highlighting the new types of parties, such as transaction validators, that are essential in the functioning of decentralised platforms. We show how design choices moderate the impact of decentralisation of the transaction system on digital innovation. By comparing decentralised platforms against centralised platforms and hierarchies, we pinpoint the limited opportunities for strategic action on the part of the platform provider to shape the direction of innovation. We speculate that the limited governability of blockchain platforms can give rise to an abundance of generativity and unpredictability in these ecosystems.

摘要

我们研究去中心化应用程序（dApps）和区块链平台的新兴创新前沿。我们描述了去中心化区块链平台的基本特征，并说明了 dApp 经济的增长以及新兴的各种区块链平台。我们还描述了 dApp 生态系统，突出了新类型的参与方，例如交易验证者，这对于去中心化平台的运作至关重要。我们展示了设计选择如何缓和交易系统去中心化对数字创新的影响。通过将去中心化平台与集中式平台和层次结构进行比较，我们确定了平台提供商在塑造创新方向方面采取战略行动的有限机会。