Supporting the Implementation of the SDGs Through a Blockchain-Based Platform: The Case of Italy

Abstract

One of the very successful collective efforts aimed at improving the lives of billions of people are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and their predecessors, i.e., the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). The assessment of the implementation of the SDGs in Italy in 2019 demonstrates that, overall, Italian cities have achieved 53% of the targets. Nevertheless, a performance output gap exists between Italy’s North and South. Considering the—proven by research and practice—value of blockchain, the objective of this paper is to explore how blockchain may improve the implementation of the SDGs in Italy. To this end, a qualitative analysis supported by systematic literature review and thematic analysis have been adopted. Against this backdrop, a comprehensive and structured model outlining the key imperatives (governance, sustainability, and data sciences) pertaining to the SDGs has been built to offer a meta-framework for the performance output analysis. This model, integrating blockchain Ethereum, and Inter Planetary File System (IPFS), offers insights on the scope and scale of the SDGs implementation by local and regional stakeholders. In this way, it may serve as a tool for policymakers, at the regional and national levels, to support strategy and decision-making process geared toward the implementation of the SDGs in Italy.