The U.S. government grapples with a persistent challenge: improper payments. In fiscal year 2023, incorrect judgment and sloppy accounting resulted in over $100 billion in excessive disbursement. Taken together, these problems added up to a shocking $240 billion. This huge number highlights the serious need for new solutions to improve...
Even USAID—an agency frequently identified with boots-on-the-ground humanitarian assistance—is flirting with blockchain. In particular, the U.S. International Humanitarian Assistance (IHA) has indicated a desire to use it to facilitate internal procurement. The promise is alluring: increased transparency, efficiency, and tamper-proof record-keeping. Picture this—they want a system similar to Amazon’s QLDB,...
So, USAID is eyeing blockchain for procurement. Not for getting help to starving children, mind you, but for monitoring purchase orders. Sounds…efficient? Or does it just read like another tech-bro fantasy getting stuffed down the gullet of a federal agency that’s already choked on plenty of red tape?Tech Fixes for...