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Blockchain Forks: A Formal Classification Framework and Persistency Analysis
Research paper by Fabian Schär published in the Singapore Economic Review
Blockchain forks can have severe economic implications, sow uncertainty and undermine trust. In this paper, we introduce a formal framework to study the emergence, persistency and economic consequences of blockchain forks. We argue that blockchain forks can be process- or protocol-based and emerge unintentionally or deliberately. We then proceed with a sub-classification of protocol-based forks and study the circumstances under which a chain split may become permanent. It can be shown that the persistency of a fork depends on the nature of the change to the consensus rules and on the relative allocation of the consensus-relevant resources. Lastly, we discuss business implications as well as potential consequences for policy makers and practitioners.