Tokenomics and blockchain tokens: A design-oriented morphological framework

Abstract

Blockchain technology has been around for more than ten years, nevertheless, the knowledge about its economic and business implications is still fragmented and heterogeneous. The present article intends to tackle this issue with a twofold contribution. The first is an analysis of the shift from economics to tokenomics highlighting the central role played by tokens within blockchain-based ecosystems. The second is a framework for tokens design leveraging a morphological analysis deeply grounded in the literature. As blockchain becomes a mainstream phenomenon, the value of the work proposed lies in lowering the cognitive barriers and in clarifying the space of available options for private and public actors willing to leverage tokenization in their daily operations.