Blockchain as a chain for humanitarian aid: transforming the lives of refugees

Updated United Nations data shows that 79.5 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced already by the end of 2019. These were already record-setting numbers of refugees and displaced people around the world. Now they face a new unimaginable and threatening emergency: the global health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent economic crisis it has generated. Refugees are amongst the most vulnerable group who now are facing also a pandemic of poverty. It is fair to say that 2020 has been one of the toughest years in history. The present year has also been characterized by a succession of catastrophes and natural disasters, which aggravated a world already severally affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Large emergencies and extreme situations demand for coordination, trust and efficiency. We are currently entering a new era of disruptive technology that will revolutionize the industry, and blockchain holds vast promise for a transformation of the humanitarian sector. This thesis explores the use of blockchain technology to improve effectiveness of contemporary humanitarian aid in the field of refugees and displaced people by focusing on two specific use-case opportunities: digital identity management and aid delivery tracking. This dissertation outlines the use cases of blockchain to help mitigate the impact and strain of the refugee crisis for both refugees and host countries alike. The aim is to reflect on the improvements and pitfalls related to the adaptation of this disruptive technology in the field.Dados atualizados das Nações Unidas mostram que 79,5 milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo foram deslocadas à força no final de 2019. Esses já eram números recordes de refugiados e pessoas deslocadas em todo o mundo. Agora eles enfrentam uma nova emergência inimaginável e ameaçadora: a crise de saúde global causada pela pandemia de Covid-19 e a consequente crise econômica que ela gerou. Os refugiados estão entre o grupo mais vulnerável que agora enfrenta também uma pandemia de pobreza. 2020 foi um dos anos mais difíceis da história. O presente ano também se caracterizou por uma sucessão de catástrofes e desastres naturais, que agravaram um mundo já seriamente afetado pela crise da Covid-19. Grandes emergências e situações extremas exigem coordenação, confiança e eficiência. Atualmente, estamos a entrar em uma nova era de tecnologia disruptiva que revolucionará a indústria, e o "blockchain" é uma grande promessa para a transformação do setor humanitário. Esta tese explora o uso da tecnologia blockchain para melhorar a eficácia da ajuda humanitária contemporânea no campo de refugiados e pessoas deslocadas, concentrando-se em duas oportunidades de casos de uso específicos: gerenciamento de identidade digital e rastreamento de entrega de ajuda. Esta dissertação descreve os casos de uso de "blockchain" para ajudar a mitigar o impacto e a tensão da crise de refugiados para refugiados e países anfitriões. O objetivo é refletir sobre as melhorias e armadilhas relacionadas à adaptação dessa tecnologia disruptiva no campo

The Biometric Assemblage: Surveillance, Experimentation, Profit, and the Measuring of Refugee Bodies

Biometric technologies are routinely used in the response to refugee crises with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) aiming to have all refugee data from across the world in a central population registry by the end of 2019. The article analyses biometrics, AI and blockchain as part of a technological assemblage, which I term the biometric assemblage. The article identifies five intersecting logics which explain wider transformations within the humanitarian sector and in turn shape the biometric assemblage. The acceleration of the rate of biometric registrations in the humanitarian sector between 2002 and 2019 reveals serious concerns regarding bias, data safeguards, data-sharing practices with states and commercial companies, experimentation with untested technologies among vulnerable people, and, finally, ethics. Technological convergence amplifies risks associated with each constituent technology of the biometric assemblage. The paper finally argues that the biometric assemblage accentuates asymmetries between refugees and humanitarian agencies and ultimately entrenches inequalities in a global context

Customer value theory and cryptocurrency regulation

Cryptocurrencies are the product of disruptive technologies which have the potential to unsettle the global banking sector and, as a result, state-controlled economies across the world. Similarly, their inherent volatility and the relatively unregulated markets within which they are currently traded present a multiplicity of risks from which consumers will increasingly require protection as their popularity continues to rise. In seeking to inform any regulatory intervention, lawmakers are likely to refer to – amongst others – a range of economic, legal, political, sociological, and technological theories to understand the nature and extent of the relevant risks. Customer value theory from the marketing discipline offers an important perspective, which to the authors’ knowledge has not yet been considered. This paper presents the findings of an interdisciplinary, theoretical study, which explored the application of customer value theory to cryptocurrency and its regulation. It is argued that customer value theory offers explanatory insight into the nature of cryptocurrency itself as well as the risks that it poses to consumer traders, and that it thereby constitutes a useful lens for lawmakers as they seek to regulate in this emergent area

Evaluation of the effects of micro, small and medium enterprises finance policy on job creation in Nigeria

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThe researcher attempted to assess the effectiveness of Bank of Agriculture (BOA) microloan scheme on job creation among micro and small enterprises. This is in view of the unprecedented rise in the unemployment rate in Nigeria and the widely perceived belief that among other policies, harnessing the financial capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) may possibly dictate the pace of the country’s achievement of job creation. Despite a wide array of studies on MSME growth, only a handful of rigorous studies are available to provide evidence of the effect of finance on labour market outcomes in the sector, as well as on the use of more relevant assessment techniques on the performance of public policies and interventions related to MSME financing. Through the use of mixed methods including questionnaire administration, key informant interviews, focused group discussions and desk research, this research undertook a theory of change-based assessment of Bank of Agriculture microfinance scheme, to assess the extent to which the scheme is effective in contributing to the achievement of the MSME Policy’s fundamental objective of job creation. Descriptive statistics using frequency tables and graphs as well as OECD COTE (Coherence, Objectives, Targets and Evaluation) Framework for policy formulation were applied as methods of analysis. The findings show a fundamental flaw in relation to the lack of strategic alignment of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) operations with the MSME Policy. The Bank is seen to be operating in a silo as the strategic direction the MSME tilt does not seem to derive from the overall MSME Policy. BOA is also not seen to be positioned to engage the practice of performance measurement and reporting generally and in particular of the fundamental objective of job creation, as stipulated in the MSME Financing Policy of government. It was also revealed that a majority of enterprises that took BOA microloans loans were not able to create jobs as many of them were operating as “survivalists”. Although the BOA microloan scheme is potentially capable of supporting targeted growth-oriented microenterprises in specific trades to create jobs, given the attractive concessional terms, the Bank is not achieving this objective in its present state and form neither is it seen to be positioned to do so due to several supply and demand side factors. An ongoing reform process in the Bank during this research period may be able to address part of this concern if more strategic steps are taken to surmount the constraints. Furthermore, BOA does not have a functional performance measurement framework and monitoring and evaluation system that can be used as the basis for measuring goal attainment such as the goal of job creation, especially in relation to the outcomes of the provision of financial services to the MSME sector. For BOA to be successful and truly developmental in focus especially in relation to its contribution to the strategic objective of job creation, the study therefore recommended the key thrust of a new framework for addressing the current unemployment situation to include an effective alignment of macro, meso (sectoral) and micro policies. At the (micro) institutional level, it is recommended that BOA should: • improve its governance and management system as well as the integration of development impact considerations and measurement; • create innovative financing products for growth-oriented microenterprises especially through cluster financing and cluster-based development; • increase wholesale lending through the provision of on-lending products to performing microfinance institutions (MFIs); • engage the services of BDS organisations to source for credible clients and build clients’ entrepreneurial capacity including assisting them to access markets. In line with the need to integrate development impact considerations and measurement into its entire operations, the researcher designed a monitoring and evaluation framework that can enhance the tracking of the attainment of job creation policy goal in BOA microloan scheme. In this vein, the institution is to adopt formal “lessons learnt” mechanisms to integrate evaluation findings into future activities and “put development back into development banking” (Smallridge, 2017). At the meso level in the study context, horizontal cooperation is recommended where all relevant institutions are aligned and the impact of various policy measures on entrepreneurship and job creation are taken into account. Lastly, an employment – sensitive macro-economic framework must pursue: the relaxation of monetary and credit conditions that are supportive of employment creation in the economy; fiscal prudence in the context of exploiting fiscal space to accommodate investments with high employment potentials; use of legislative mechanisms for ensuring full and effective implementation of annual budgets, program and projects at all levels and development and effective use of computerised Labour Market Information System (LMIS) for Nigeria

Biometrics & [and] Security:Combining Fingerprints, Smart Cards and Cryptography

Since the beginning of this brand new century, and especially since the 2001 Sept 11 events in the U.S, several biometric technologies are considered mature enough to be a new tool for security. Generally associated to a personal device for privacy protection, biometric references are stored in secured electronic devices such as smart cards, and systems are using cryptographic tools to communicate with the smart card and securely exchange biometric data. After a general introduction about biometrics, smart cards and cryptography, a second part will introduce our work with fake finger attacks on fingerprint sensors and tests done with different materials. The third part will present our approach for a lightweight fingerprint recognition algorithm for smart cards. The fourth part will detail security protocols used in different applications such as Personal Identity Verification cards. We will discuss our implementation such as the one we developed for the NIST to be used in PIV smart cards. Finally, a fifth part will address Cryptography-Biometrics interaction. We will highlight the antagonism between Cryptography – determinism, stable data – and Biometrics – statistical, error-prone –. Then we will present our application of challenge-response protocol to biometric data for easing the fingerprint recognition process