The code is the policy: Blockchain governance and the authoritarian pursuit of administrative efficiency
David Keith Adams · Administrative Theory & Praxis · 2025
Blockchain technologies are reshaping governance by embedding administrative decisions into code, reducing discretion and democratic oversight. While praised for decentralization, blockchain now advances automation and efficiency, often at ethical cost. This article examines how a second Trump administration might use such tools to institutionalize authoritarian control. Rosenbloom’s tripartite framework, Frederickson’s equity theory, and Ostrom’s polycentric model guide analysis of smart contracts, tokenized public goods, and algorithmic rule. The concept of guerrilla governance infrastructure is introduced to explore decentralized systems as sites of resistance and accountability.