Blockchain in humanitarian operations management: A review of research and practice

Abstract

Humanitarian operations management (HOM) defines the broad domain that deals with the management of crisis events and human suffering, and a plethora of research has contributed to this field. Over the recent years, blockchain technology has been signaled throughout the literature as a tool that can support HOM as a result of the technology's enhanced features such as security and auditability. In a bid to explore the application of blockchain technology in HOM, we systematically review the current literature and deployed practices. Our review covers 64 articles that provide contributions which we categorize into four focus areas: (i) overview of blockchain in HOM, (ii) identity and personal data management, (iii) humanitarian logistics, and (iv) humanitarian communications. The majority of the articles that we surveyed focus on the potential benefits of blockchain in HOM, and the enablers and barriers to its adoption. A limited number of theoretical frameworks provide insights into how blockchain can be utilized in HOM to improve operational efficiency, promote trust, and foster collaborations among relief agencies. With the exception of a few pilot programs that have been deployed in the humanitarian setting, we find that the majority of the work addressing the use of blockchain in HOM has not yet been tested in the field, and therefore, little empirical evidence exists to prove blockchain's capabilities in HOM. This paper reports on the major scientific advancements and practical applications for blockchain technology in HOM, as well as promising future research directions on the use of blockchain technology for HOM practitioners and researchers.