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How Cryptocurrency Could Improve Basic Income Programs: A Design Science Research Approach

Marcelo Henrique de Araujo et al.

Journal of the Association for Information Systems2026https://doi.org/10.17705/1itd.032105article
AJG 4*ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Basic income policies attracted a lot of attention from policymakers and researchers during the pandemic. Considering the evidence of these policies’ effectiveness, many believe that they are here to stay, keeping local governments prepared for new emergency crises. In this paper, we investigate the use of blockchain to improve digital payment platforms for basic income. We analyse the case of the Brazilian city of Maricá, where a basic income programme created by the local government for the most vulnerable residents is paid in Mumbucas — a local currency accepted only within the city. With more than 70,000 Mumbuca users in a city of 200,000 inhabitants, the initiative in Maricá has become one of the world’s largest regional basic income programmes. We adopt the design science research (DSR) approach to analyse the case and propose improvements to the existing platform, considering this implementation as two entangled sub-artefacts: the public policy and the digital local currency. We conclude the case analysis by proposing alternatives for improving the artefact with a blockchain solution. This study contributes to the discussion regarding basic income, local currencies, blockchain digital platforms, and the DSR approach for producing impactful research in the information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) field.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17705/1itd.032105

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@article{marcelo2026,
  title        = {{How Cryptocurrency Could Improve Basic Income Programs: A Design Science Research Approach}},
  author       = {Marcelo Henrique de Araujo et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of the Association for Information Systems},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17705/1itd.032105},
}

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How Cryptocurrency Could Improve Basic Income Programs: A Design Science Research Approach

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.