Incentivized network and localized services growth with mutual credit-based community vouchers

Research Question

1. Can a decentralized mutual credit-based community voucher combined with a community network and localized services incentivize (i) custodianship of commons infrastructure, (ii) creation of more locally generated digital content , and (iii) act as a catalyst to the stability and expansion of a local market?

Why Is This Research Important?

Moving towards an Internet system that embeds key philosophies of being decentralized, open, and trustless on both the network and financial layer can create more opportunities for low-income communities. A mutual credit-based community voucher integrated with a community-owned network incentivizes users to become better custodians of commons infrastructure, create more locally generated digital content, and expand the use and stability of a community voucher to support wider local markets that embrace local digital and physical goods and services. 

The ultimate goal is to improve the socio-economic conditions in the communities by amplifying local economies and providing mechanisms for users to build, manage and monetize their own physical and digital commons infrastructure. 

This research allows us to gain insights into the effectiveness of the project intervention in Ocean View (South Africa) and Kilifi (Kenya). The research creates datasets that can be used by the research community to understand how to set rules and contracts, and policies in a network to ensure fairness (exposing imbalances, abuse, etc.), good custodianship (communities taking care of physical and digital commons infrastructure), openness (making sure there is no imbalance in knowledge about code or data), and stimulating growth (systems that reward good custodianship and help grow locally relevant content and digital infrastructure). 

Methodology

The research blends together quantitative and qualitative methods.  

Quantitative is in the form of network measurements (traffic growth/user uptake of local digital content that can be sold/purchased with a community voucher), network management system data (growth of number of users and sale of Internet coupons and other digital assets using a community voucher); uptime of digital infrastructure that has uptime-linked rewards in the form of community vouchers; and blockchain transactions that expose the amount of financial benefit to community members and distribution of these transactions amongst wallet owners. 

Qualitative data is in the form of semi-structured interviews with community members before they create a digital wallet to understand current access and financial challenges; semi-structured interviews with users who receive community voucher rewards for being custodians of mesh hardware and other digital infrastructure to understand if the goal of providing community voucher rewards to incentivize good custodianship has been met; and semi-structured interviews with end users who purchase Internet coupons, other digital services and general goods and services in the community with community vouchers through the lifecycle of the project to understand if the system has provided affordable access and if community voucher has been used beyond purchasing Internet access. 

Media and Publications

• Deploy iNethi Management interface for setting community voucher limits for digital services
• “Community Networks Meet Community Currencies” Manual Published by APC Guidelines or those who would like to launch a combination of a community network and a local community currency.
• Community Networks powered by Community Currencies The paper shows how a mutual credit-based community voucher or currency integrated with a community-owned network and a local content server could incentivise users to become better custodians of commons infrastructure
• Community Exchange Platform Business directory system called a “Community Exchange Platform” where businesses listed on iNethi system can advertise services in fiat and community voucher