Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering - Call for Papers
Special Issue on Blockchain and Web3.0 Applications
Blockchain, as a back-end technology, is driving the construction of new data infrastructure and data circulation mechanisms, creating an economic system oriented towards data rights confirmation, circulation, and trading. It is expected to promote the transformation of Internet business models and value distribution patterns (M. A. Chen et al. 2023, X. Chen et al. 2023, Ying et al. 2023) in the era of Web3.0. The original application of blockchain technology – cryptocurrencies (Cong, Li, et al. 2023, Sun et al. 2023) has started since the introduction of the Bitcoin protocol in 2008 and grown dramatically to a total market capitalization of $1.54 trillion till December 2023. The massive crypto market further contributes to an explosion of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications including lending, exchange and derivative platforms (Amiram et al. 2022, Augustin et al. 2023, Chung et al. 2023). Supported by valuable cryptos and trustless ecosystem, a more democratic organizational form – decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) has emerged and significantly motivated community activeness and operation participation for blockchain-based enterprises (Zhao et al. 2022). Moreover, based on blockchain-enabled smart contracts, the protocol of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) fosters a rapidly-growing market of digital arts and collectibles. Other well-known applications include blockchain-based crowdsourcing and crowdfunding (Bourveau et al. 2022, Davydiuk et al. 2023, Lyandres et al. 2022), game finance (GameFi), decentralized identity and cross-chain technology (Cong, Hui, et al. 2023).
The applications of blockchain technology above offer new research challenges and opportunities to the field of systems science and systems engineering (Shang et al. 2023). From users’ perspective, the blockchain-based system transforms their single consumer role in traditional Internet contexts into multi-dimensional involvement including consumption, investment, development, governance and marketing. The complexification of involved roles creates more diversified situations for behavioral studies. For instance, the work of Li et al. (2024) has confirmed the individual-level effectiveness of token airdrop – a novel marketing campaign for financial instruments in blockchain ecosystem. From firms’ perspective, the Web3.0 revolution enabled by blockchain technology reshapes the economic model, incentive channels, organizational forms and competitive environment of related projects and enterprises. The mentioned aspects above further interplays and hence leads to more interesting and richer research questions. The related work of Zhao et al. (2022) has explored the role played by daily operational tasks of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) using a specific platform – MakerDAO. From the whole ecosystem’s perspective, the unique features of blockchain context (e.g., transparency, immutability, open-source, decentralization, etc.) unclear theoretical questions that is hard to explore under traditional circumstances due to data limitation and other barriers. The work of Ilk et al. (2021) conceptualizes the Bitcoin blockchain as a data space market and study the market equilibrium between users and miners from the perspective of the whole system.
Motivated by the prevalence of blockchain, the significant challenges and abundant opportunities of Web3.0 revolution, we organize this special issue that focuses on how new technology affects theory development and practical innovations in systems science and systems engineering, how individuals’ decisions and behaviors are impacted under policies by blockchain applications and how Web3.0 decentralized platforms and protocols are released, developed, governed and promoted with the help of blockchain technology.
Topics Covered
This special issue aims to attract state-of-the-art research on blockchain and Web3.0 applications in the field of systems science and systems engineering. We expect submissions that address clear and important research questions examining different aspects of blockchain via rigorous empirical approaches and theoretical bases. We welcome diverse empirical methods, including econometric methods, qualitative case studies, field experiments, laboratory experiments, and prediction models. We are extremely interested in truly innovative and path-breaking works that bring diverse disciplines of knowledge and paradigms together. Examples of topics include (but are not limited to):
Interesting perspectives around the intensions and extensions of cryptocurrencyNovel phenomena in decentralized finance (DeFi) or other decentralized applications (DApps)System management and operations in Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)Transactions and speculations in the marketplaces of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)Factors and consequences of Decentralized IdentityCrowdfunding and crowdsourcing related to blockchain technologyGame finance (GameFi) and gamification under Web3.0 ecosystemBroad insights into blockchain infrastructure and cross-chain technology
This list of issues is illustrative rather than exhaustive. This SI will focus on blockchain and Web3.0 applications in a variety of industry contexts.
Guest Editors
Gengzhong Feng
Professor, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Email: gzfeng@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Xi Zhao
Professor, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Email: zhaoxi1@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Xiaoni Lu
Assistant Professor, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China
Email: xiaoni1204@xjtu.edu.cn
Manuscript Submission Information
The special issue will not accept any paper that, at the time of submission, is under review or, has already been published in, or has already been accepted for publication in, a journal or another venue with formally published proceedings. Authors are also required not to submit their papers to any other venues with formal publication during the review period.
If part of the work has been previously published, authors are required to cite and compare/contrast the new contributions with the parts that were already published before. The paper must substantially extend the previously published work.
A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page.
Click “submit manuscript” on the right to submit your paper. The special issue could be selected at the stage of “additional information”.
Important Dates
Expected Manuscript Due: September 1st, 2024
Expected First Round of Reviews: November 1st, 2024
Expected Publication Date: February 1st, 2025
References
Amiram D, Jørgensen BN, Rabetti D (2022) Coins for bombs: The predictive ability of on-chain transfers for terrorist attacks. Journal of Accounting Research. 60(2):427–466.
Augustin P, Rubtsov A, Shin D (2023) The impact of derivatives on spot markets: Evidence from the introduction of Bitcoin futures contracts. Management Science. 69(11):6752–6776.
Bourveau T, De George ET, Ellahie A, Macciocchi D (2022) The role of disclosure and information intermediaries in an unregulated capital market: Evidence from initial coin offerings. Journal of Accounting Research. 60(1):129–167.
Chen MA, Hu SS, Wang J, Wu Q (2023) Can Blockchain Technology Help Overcome Contractual Incompleteness? Evidence from State Laws. Management Science. 69(11):6540–6567.
Chen X, Cheng Q, Luo T (2023) The Economic Value of Blockchain Applications: Early Evidence from Asset-Backed Securities. Management Science. 70(1):439–463.
Chung S, Kim K, Lee CH, Oh W (2023) Interdependence between online peer-to-peer lending and cryptocurrency markets and its effects on financial inclusion. Production and Operations Management. 32(6):1939–1957.
Cong LW, Hui X, Tucker C, Zhou L (2023) Scaling Smart Contracts via Layer-2 Technologies: Some Empirical Evidence. Management Science. 69(12):7306–7316.
Cong LW, Li X, Tang K, Yang Y (2023) Crypto Wash Trading. Management Science. 69(11):6427–6454.
Davydiuk T, Gupta D, Rosen S (2023) De-crypto-ing signals in initial coin offerings: Evidence of rational token retention. Management Science. 69(11):6584–6624.
Ilk N, Shang G, Fan S, Zhao JL (2021) Stability of transaction fees in Bitcoin: A supply and demand perspective. MIS Quarterly. 45(2):563–592.
Li J, Wan XS, Cheng HK, Zhao X (2024) Operation dumbo drop: To airdrop or not to airdrop for Initial Coin Offering success? Information Systems Research. (Forthcoming).
Lyandres E, Palazzo B, Rabetti D, Lyandres E, Palazzo B (2022) Initial coin offering (ICO) success and post-ICO performance. Management Science. 68(12):8658–8679.
Shang G, Ilk N, Fan S (2023) Need for speed, but how much does it cost? Unpacking the fee-speed relationship in Bitcoin transactions. Journal of Operations Management. 69(1):102–126.
Sun L, Hua G, Teunter RH, Cheng TCE, Shen ZJM (2023) The effects of tokenization on ride-hailing blockchain platforms. Production and Operations Management.:1–18.
Ying H, Peng X, Zhao X, Chen Z (2023) The effects of signaling blockchain-based track and trace on consumer purchases: Insights from a quasi-natural experiment. Production and Operations Management.:1–20.
Zhao X, Ai P, Lai F, Luo X, Benitez J (2022) Task management in decentralized autonomous organization. Journal of Operations Management. 68(6–7):649–674.