Published Documents
Research
We do regular monitoring and evaluation on the impact of our programs and collaborate with researchers from around the world. Data is collected through digital (blockchain-based) transaction data, journals and surveys.
Open Data
We publish pseudonymized transaction data from Community Inclusion Currency users for research purposes. Our datasets have been used by researchers worldwide to study economic networks, community currencies, and monetary systems.
Access DatasetsOUR INQUIRY
Research Questions
Design
- •What do communities have and need to coordinate their resources and steward their collective capacity?
- •What is community?
- •What does a post scarcity society look like?
- •How can formalized commitments and exchange systems support community abundance and harmony with their environment and other communities?
- •What can we learn from ecological and indigenous resource coordination practices?
Development
- •How have and can infrastructure be developed and managed for resource coordination?
- •How are communities fully empowered and sovereign in their choices?
- •What regulatory frameworks can be used?
- •How to achieve institutional integration — humanitarian orgs, chamas (community groups), schools, shops, government, financial institutions, faith-based organizations, etc.
- •Network visualization and analytics that help understand, react to and manage CIC systems.
Predictive & Agent-Based Modeling
- •How can people and institutions outside of a community interact with the local community? Aid distribution, redistribution of taxes? In what medium: capacity building, in-kind, cash, stable tokens, etc.
Understanding
- •What are the impacts from pilots and trials? Short and long term effects of programs like Sarafu Network.
- •What characteristics cause resource coordination systems of different designs to have different impacts?
PUBLICATIONS
Research & Papers
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Commitment Pooling — An Economic Protocol Inspired by Ancestral Wisdom
William O. Ruddick·International Journal of Community Currency Research (IJCCR), Vol. 27, pp. 54-79·2023
Circulation of a digital community currency
Carolina E. S. Mattsson, Teodoro Criscione & Frank W. Takes·Nature Scientific Reports·2023
Complex Systems Modeling of Community Inclusion Currencies
Clark, Andrew; Mihailov, Alexander; Zargham, Michael·Vienna University of Economics and Business·2022
Community Currencies as Crisis Response: Results from a Randomized Control Trial in Kenya
Rebecca Mqamelo·Frontiers in Blockchain·2022
Complementary Currencies for Humanitarian Aid
Leanne Ussher, Laura Ebert, Georgina M. Gomez, William O. Ruddick·MDPI Journal of Risk and Financial Management·2021
Complementary Currencies for Sustainable Development in Kenya: the Case of the Bangla-Pesa
Ruddick, W.; Richards, M.; Bendell, J.·International Journal of Community Currency Research·2015
Eco-Pesa: an Evaluation of a Complementary Currency Programme in Kenya's Informal Settlements
Ruddick, W.·International Journal of Community Currency Research·2011
Books
Grassroots Economics: Reflection and Practice
William O. Ruddick·Substack (Free PDF)
Dissertations
Network effects on community currency systems
Teodoro Criscione·Central European University
Datasets
Sarafu.Network 2021-2023 Data
Grassroots Economics·UK Data Service·2023
Sarafu Community Inclusion Currency 2020-2021
Carolina E. S. Mattsson, Teodoro Criscione & William O. Ruddick·Nature Scientific Data·2022
Sarafu — CIC 2020-2021 Data
William O. Ruddick, Teodoro Criscione, C.E.S. Mattsson·UK Data Service·2021
Reports
Trade Facilitation and Community Development in the Age of Blockchain & DLT
·Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
Kenyan Businesswomen Transforming Slum Economies through Complementary Currencies
Richards, M.; Ruddick, W.·United Nations Research Institute for Social Development·2013
Surveys
Working Papers
Proof of Impact: Blockchain Community Currencies in Action
Galia Benartzi, Rebecca Mqamelo·2019
Re-imagining Money to Broaden the Future of Development Finance
Bendell, J.; Slater, M.; Ruddick, W.·UNRISD Working Paper 2015-10·2015
Complementary Currencies Strengthening the Social and Solidarity Economy: Case Studies from Kenya
Ruddick, W.; Mariani, L.·United Nations Research Institute for Social Development·2013
Conference Papers
Trust and Spending of Community Currencies in Kenya
Ruddick, W.·3rd International Conference on Social and Complementary Currencies, Salvador, Brazil·2015
Challenges of Collective Organization and Institution Building around Community Currencies in Kenyan Slums
Dissaux, T.; Ruddick, W.·4th International Conference on Social and Complementary Currencies, Barcelona, Spain·2017
Theses
A Relational Analysis of Sarafu Network: Emergence of a Monetary Ecosystem for the Prosperity of Communities
Sowelu Elios Avanzo·University of Torino (Master's Thesis)
Voucher Systems for Food Security: A Case Study on Kenya's Sarafu-Credit
Marion Cauvet·University of Copenhagen (M.Sc. Agricultural Development)·2018
Community Currency Programmes as a Tool for the Sustainable Development of Informal Settlements
Daan Sillen·United Nations University / Maastricht University (M.Sc. Public Policy and Human Development)·2017
The Case of Sarafu-credits: Examining How a Community Currency Can Contribute to Sustainable Livelihood in Informal Settlements
Hannes Anagrius·Stockholm Resilience Centre (M.Sc. Resilience and Sustainability Science)·2017
Community Currencies in a Development Context: The Case of the Sarafu-Credit in Kenya
Thibaud Dezyn·University of Leuven, Belgium (Masters in Cultural Anthropology)·2017
The Role of Complementary Currency in Promoting Business Growth in an Informal Economy: Case of Bangla-Pesa
Roselyne M. Omanga·Strathmore University, Kenya (Masters of Executive Business Administration)·2016
Relationship between Community Currencies and Nutritional Intake of Household in Kibera Kenya
Sharlene Mbula Mule·University of Nairobi (B.Sc. Food Nutrition and Dietetics)·2016
Seminar Papers
Economic Advantages of Community Currencies
Sarah Zeller
Research Grants
DANIDA Awarded 9 Million DKK for Research on Community Currencies
Ester Barinaga (Lund University, Lead Researcher)·DANIDA / Copenhagen Business School
Collaborate on Research
We welcome researchers interested in community currencies, economic networks, and alternative financial systems.
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