Creating Trust in Citizen Participation through Decentralized Autonomous Citizen Participation Organizations (DACPOs)

Abstract

Blockchain-based Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are systems for transacting and storing value by automatically executing a function without the need for trusted, centralized authorities. Participative budgeting requires voting about budget allocation by communities and is often confronted with issues in trust and transparency. Yet, DAOs are hardly used for participative budgeting. In this research, we introduce Decentralized Autonomous Citizen Participation Organizations (DACPOs). In a DACPO, data and actions are recorded and autonomously executed in a decentralized way. DACPOs can be used for enabling participative budgeting and thereby provide transparency, decrease the risks of fraud and corruption, and increase citizens’ trust. The viability of DACPOs depends on a number of factors, including a minimum number of citizens who participate. In further research, factors influencing the use of DACPOs for participative budgeting can be further analyzed and tested.