Institutional environment and the use of blockchain technology: exploring the context and conditions of using blockchain in higher education institutions

Blockchain technology (BC) is widely believed to be the next disruptive technology that can address challenges in higher education institutions (HEIs) and support resilient strategies. This study aims to contribute to the literature and inform policymakers about BC’s capability and potential in HE by examining enablers, barriers, and contextual factors influencing BC adoption in HEIs. Through qualitative research, including interviews with 20 BC experts, we identified 12 factors affecting BC adoption. Key enablers include immutability, scalability, usability, management commitment, collaboration, and standardisation, while barriers encompass government regulations, bureaucracy, governance, and language. Additionally, privacy and cost emerged as factors that could act as both enablers and barriers. Our findings highlight the critical role of the institutional environment, revealing five new enablers and barriers to BC adoption in HE. We offer several strategies for facilitating BC technology adoption, taking into account the environmental, institutional and technological in-depth insights gained from this research.