Taxonomy of Centralization in Public Blockchain Systems: A Systematic Literature Review
Ashish Rajendra Sai, Jim Buckley, Brian Fitzgerald, Andrew Le Gear

TL;DR
This paper systematically reviews and classifies the various aspects and measurements of centralization in public blockchain systems, providing a comprehensive taxonomy based on empirical and expert insights.
Contribution
It introduces a novel taxonomy of centralization in blockchains, categorizing 13 aspects across six architectural layers, based on extensive literature review and expert validation.
Findings
Identifies multiple definitions and measures of centralization.
Classifies centralization aspects into six architectural layers.
Provides a comprehensive taxonomy for understanding centralization in blockchains.
Abstract
Bitcoin introduced delegation of control over a monetary system from a select few to all who participate in that system. This delegation is known as the decentralization of controlling power and is a powerful security mechanism for the ecosystem. After the introduction of Bitcoin, the field of cryptocurrency has seen widespread attention from industry and academia, so much so that the original novel contribution of Bitcoin i.e. decentralization, may be overlooked, due to decentralizations assumed fundamental existence for the functioning of such cryptoassets. However recent studies have observed a trend of increased centralization in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. As this increased centralization has an impact the security of the blockchain, it is crucial that it is measured, towards adequate control. This research derives an initial taxonomy of centralization present in…
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