MERL Tech DC 2018

What do we as MERL practitioners need to know to understand the opportunities and challenges that blockchain technology presents for development?  Our team set out to develop a data-based case study of blockchain pilot projects, to begin understanding what works, what doesn’t, and why, from a MERL perspective. We discovered that MERLing blockchain is not possible based on how little substantive information is available regarding what works, what doesn’t, and why.

None of the many “case studies” available online provided the requisite granularity to achieve what we set out to understand. So, we’re taking this opportunity to share our experiences and thinking with the larger MERL community to crowd-source input on what kind of Learning Agenda would be needed under what circumstances to get the most out a future chance to review data on what works, what doesn’t, and why, to help vet the appropriateness of blockchain for MERL functions, and monitoring during implementation, if it is appropriate, in the form of a mini-workshop during this session.

Participants in this mini-workshop will collaboratively identify key features of a MERL blockchain Learning Agenda, and leave with a better understanding of how important it is to have a learning agenda to help guide them through the process of vetting the appropriateness of blockchain to support their MERL functions, through a 40-minute mini-workshop, and will leave with a early version that can be used in the initial stages of blockchain vetting (a polished version will be distributed electronically to participants after the conference).