Blockchain Papers

Alexandre Rigaud

No abstract is available for this record.

Milad Habibpour, Milad Habibpour

This paper proposes Platform-Enabled People Governance (PEPG), a conceptual model of public governance organized around public problems rather than around a single institution, bureaucracy, or digital platform. PEPG places a public problem at the center and connects citizens, experts, government institutions, implementers, funders, contractors, and oversight actors through distributed participation spaces. The model distinguishes open public participation in problem identification and solution development from controlled participation in implementation and formal oversight. PEPG is platform-agnostic. WhatsApp, Telegram, X, GitHub, dedicated government systems, or other digital environments may serve as participation spaces without becoming the governance model itself. The paper also discusses transparency, independent oversight, contracts, legislative inputs, tamper-evident records, blockchain as an optional integrity layer, institutional capacity, decision-making speed, prevention of concentration and capture, and safeguards against external influence. This publication represents an early conceptual formulation of PEPG and is intended to support further academic discussion, critique, experimentation, and development.

Karthikeyan. T

The convergence of neo-banking and the gig economy represents a significant shift in the future of work and finance, reshaping how individuals manage their financial lives in an increasingly digital and decentralized economy. This research article investigates the intersections between neo-banking, a digital-only banking model, and the gig economy, focusing on how neo-banks are addressing the unique financial challenges faced by gig workers. Unlike traditional employment, gig work often involves irregular income, lack of employer-provided benefits, and limited access to financial services. Neo-banks, with their technology-driven, customer-centric approach, are emerging as key players in providing tailored financial solutions such as flexible accounts, real-time payments, income-smoothing tools, and low-cost international transfers. These innovations are particularly relevant for gig workers, who require greater financial flexibility and accessibility. The research highlights the economic and social implications of neo-banking for the gig economy, including its role in promoting financial inclusion, reducing barriers to financial access, and empowering workers to better manage their finances. However, the study also identifies potential risks, such as over-reliance on digital platforms, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and regulatory challenges that could hinder the sustainable growth of neo-banking in this context. Furthermore, the article explores the broader implications of this intersection for the future of work and finance. It argues that neo-banks are not only transforming how gig workers interact with financial systems but also influencing the broader financial ecosystem by driving innovation and competition. The findings suggest that while neo-banks are well-positioned to support the evolving needs of the gig economy, collaboration among regulators, traditional banks, and fintech companies is crucial to address systemic risks and ensure equitable access to financial services. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on digital finance and labor economics, offering actionable insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and gig workers. By examining the synergies and challenges at the intersection of neo-banking and the gig economy, the article provides a comprehensive understanding of how digital financial solutions can support the future of work in an increasingly fragmented and dynamic labor market.

lingyu li

Innovation is the ultimate force that drives the development of society. In this dissertation, I examine the economic and organizational outcomes of technological innovations. In my first paper, I study how Artificial intelligence (AI) technology innovation replaces the intermediary role of real estate agents by reducing information asymmetry through delegation mechanisms. I found that consumers are more likely to delegate to AI algorithms as an alternative information source over real estate agents and this effect leads to the reduction of real estate agents’ employment. In my second paper, I studied technology innovation-led remote workforce settings from a cybersecurity risk perspective. Remote workforces are becoming more common due to technological advancements such as blockchain, and cybersecurity risks are documented to be higher for such remote workforces due to reduced monitoring and interactions with peers. I built and tested a model to explain cybersecurity behaviors in remote settings and found that determinants such as social influence differ from determinants in in-office settings. Both studies have implications for helping us better embrace the benefits of technology while controlling its negative effects.

Ellen Nathues, David Hollis, François Cooren

How do multiple possible action trajectories progressively narrow into one failing line of activity? While escalation of commitment scholars have long puzzled over this question, their tendency to conflate escalation with persistence and treat commitment as primarily cognitive compromises the concept’s theoretical precision and practical relevance. Adopting a communicative-relational ontology, we reconceptualize escalation as a process of communicatively constituted, ventriloquial attachment. We draw on an in-depth study of an interorganizational team to trace how such an attachment to the idea of working with blockchain technology emerged and progressively intensified in members’ interaction, pulling the team toward a single line of activity while alternatives were increasingly sidelined to a point where detaching became seemingly impossible. Our findings introduce the concept of escalating attachment , emphasizing how escalating processes are dynamic, relational accomplishments that both pull action forward along select lines of activity and hold it in place. This, we claim, resonates with practitioners’ lived experiences of how they not only hold onto an idea but also become progressively held by that very same idea. Further, our insights contribute to the communication as constitutive of organization (CCO) literature by lifting scholars’ focus away from situated (inter)action and toward how (inter)actions connect.

中杰君 王

本文在作者已发表的“消费黑洞”理论基础上,完成从批判到建构的理论跨越。文章指出,传统政治经济学的根本局限在于将“价值”视为一种可被生产、占有与分配的实体性存在。本文提出一个截然不同的起点:分配的本质并非物质财富的权属分割,而是主体贡献的本体论承认。 基于对笛卡尔“我思故我在”、黑格尔—马克思“我劳动故我在”的存在论谱系溯源,本文拓展劳动实践范畴,建构“贡献存在论”(Contribution Ontology)*3(WD-2026-B003),提出“我贡献故我在”的本体论命题。本文确证:人的社会性存在通过劳动、消费、关系、文明四维贡献结构得以显现。这是马克思实践存在论在数字时代的延伸与深化。 依托贡献存在论,本文揭示资本主义的本质矛盾是制度化的“存在论暴力”(Ontological Violence)*4(WD-2026-B004)——资本通过三重褫夺否定消费、关系、文明维度的人类贡献。在此基础上,本文界定“消费无产阶级”(Consumption Proletariat)*5(WD-2026-B005)范畴:同一批劳动者在生产中是劳动无产阶级(被剥夺剩余价值),在消费中是消费无产阶级(被褫夺消费贡献价值)。这是劳动无产阶级的第二重属性,揭示当代资本主义“生产端剥削+消费端褫夺”的双重剥夺结构。 本文论证按消费贡献分配的历史必然性,建构“贡献流动理论”(Contribution Flow Theory)*6(WD-2026-B006)与“消费贡献值六重质变”(Sixfold Qualitative Transformation)*7(WD-2026-B007)核心架构。六重质变遵循“贡献值只升维不归零”的根本原则,实现消费贡献从隐匿到全球流通再到文明守护的全维度价值升维。第四重质变升华生成“公信值”(Public Trust Equity Value,PTV)——包含“社保值”(Personal Social Security Value,SSV)和“社权值”(Personal Governance Rights Value,GRV),标志着贡献从经济领域升华为公共治理领域。第五重质变升华生成“共信币”(Global Trust Coin,GTC)——归国家所有,全球流通,反制资本霸权。第六重质变升华生成“圣火币”(Eternal Fire Coin,EFC)——国家消耗共信币于全人类最高事业时燃烧升华,锚定国际治理话语权。 战略层面,本文提出“利益虹吸效应”(Interest Siphon Effect)*8(WD-2026-B008)理论,论证通过市场化理性选择实现消费者觉醒、资源集聚、主权转移的四阶段和平升维路径。本文确立的按消费贡献分配制度框架,是实现从资本主权到消费者主权(进而指向贡献者主权)文明和平升维的战略方案。 本文的最高文明论断是:共信主义(WD-2026-999)不是与暴力文明、资本文明、劳动文明并列的第四种特殊文明,而是人类文明的完成形态——一个终于承认一切贡献的普遍文明。它是共产主义在数字时代的制度化展开,是人类分配制度演进中从局部到全域的必然升维。共信主义不是资本的敌人,而是资本的归宿——它将资本从压迫和异化的根源,转化为服务人类共同福祉的贡献形态。按贡献分配是对“按资分配”和“按劳分配”进行历史扬弃后的完成形态。 关键词:按贡献分配(WD-2026-000);按消费贡献分配(WD-2026-B001);消费者主权(WD-2026-B002);贡献存在论(WD-2026-B003);存在论暴力(WD-2026-B004);消费无产阶级(WD-2026-B005);贡献流动理论(WD-2026-B006);六重质变(WD-2026-B007);贡献者主权(WD-2026-B009);共信主义(WD-2026-999) This paper,building upon the author‘s previously published theory of the Consumption Black Hole,completes the transition from critique to construction in political economy.It argues that the fundamental limitation of traditional political economy lies in treating“value”as a substantive entity that can be produced,possessed,and distributed.The paper proposes a radically different starting point:the essence of distribution is not the division of material wealth,but the ontological recognition of subjective contribution. Based on a critical examination of the ontological genealogy from Descartes’“I think,therefore I am”to Hegel-Marx‘s“I labor,therefore I am,”this paper extends the category of labor practice to the broader domain of contributive existence.It demonstrates that human social existence manifests through multiple dimensions——labor,consumption,relationality,and civilization——which together constitute the four-dimensional ontological structure of human contribution. Drawing upon this framework,the paper deconstructs the deep operational logic of capitalism:the essential contradiction of capitalism is not superficial distributional inequality,but institutionalized Ontological Violence——the systematic deprivation of contributions in the dimensions of consumption,relationality,and civilization.On this basis,the paper defines the category of the Consumption Proletariat as the second attribute of the proletariat,revealing the complete structural mechanism of dual deprivation in contemporary capitalism. Integrating the materialist premises of digital productive forces——big data,blockchain,and artificial intelligence——this paper demonstrates the historical inevitability of Distribution According to Consumption Contribution.It constructs a Sixfold Qualitative Transformation framework:welfare-based→savings-based→investment-based→public governance(Public Trust Equity Value,embracing Social Security Value and Governance Rights Value)→international(Global Trust Coin)→civilizational(Eternal Fire Coin)——achieving full-dimensional value return from contribution visibility to global circulation to civilizational guardianship.At the strategic level,this paper proposes the Interest Siphon Effect theory,demonstrating that consumer resources constitute the structural core node of capital circulation.It outlines a four-stage peaceful evolutionary path of human civilizational upgrading and capital reclamation from consumer awakening to sovereignty transformation,ultimately pointing toward Contribution Sovereignty. The supreme civilizational thesis of this paper is:Convivialism is not the fourth special civilization alongside the civilizations of violence,capital,and labor,but the completed form of human civilization——a universal civilization that finally recognizes all contributions.It is the institutional unfolding of communism in the digital age and the inevitable upgrading from partial to universal recognition in the evolution of distribution systems.Convivialism is not the enemy of capital,but its ultimate destination——transforming capital from a source of oppression and alienation into a contribution form that serves human common well-being. Keywords:Distribution According to Contribution(DAC,WD-2026-000);Distribution According to Consumption Contribution(DACC,WD-2026-B001);Consumer Sovereignty(WD-2026-B002);Contribution Ontology(WD-2026-B003);Ontological Violence(OV,WD-2026-B004);Consumption Proletariat(CP,WD-2026-B005);Contribution Flow Theory(CFT,WD-2026-B006);Sixfold Qualitative Transformation(SQT,WD-2026-B007);Contribution Sovereignty(WD-2026-B009);Convivialism(WD-2026-999)

YINKA ADERIBIGBE

The governance of new technology projects in remote and developing economies is frequently undermined by severe information asymmetry and fragmented telecommunications infrastructure. While theoretical public policy advocates for the deployment of distributed ledger technologies to enhance institutional design and regulatory transparency, evaluating the economic impact of these systems relies heavily on static, retrospective datasets. This paper proposes a cloud-native architectural framework utilizing Amazon Web Services to construct a real-time, serverless pipeline for telecommunications governance and blockchain integration. By deploying asynchronous Python middleware integrated with simulated smart contracts, the proposed system programmatically ingests high-frequency network telemetry and cross-border telecommunications data. The system translates these inputs into a dynamic Institutional Transparency Index, instantly identifying regulatory bottlenecks and pricing friction across public-private partnerships. Preliminary architectural evaluations demonstrate that decoupling the governance tracking from legacy, centralized state databases significantly reduces information asymmetry, providing policy researchers with a deterministic, highly scalable tool for modeling the economics of distributed ledgers in developing contexts.

Shen Xiaowang

Web3 represents a paradigm shift of the internet from “platform centralization” to “protocol decentralization,” with its core value lying in rebuilding the trust foundation and value distribution logic of the digital world through blockchain technology. In 2026, the global Web3 infrastructure market is projected to reach $9.74 billion, the Web3 social platform market is expanding at a CAGR of 52.1%, and the decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) market is estimated to reach $85 billion. However, the governance dilemma of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)——token voting leading to power concentration, frequent governance attacks, and low decision-making efficiency——is exposing the deep paradox of “code is law.” DeFi total value locked fell from $115 billion in January 2026 to $70 billion in June, a 39% decline; 121 security incidents caused $942 million in losses, reflecting the systemic fragility of decentralized finance. Meanwhile, global regulatory frameworks are accelerating——the EU MiCA is fully applicable, the U.S. GENIUS Act has taken effect, and Hong Kong‘s Stablecoin Ordinance has been implemented——marking Web3’s transition from “regulatory vacuum” to the “compliance era.” Based on the eight-dimensional framework of Prim-Lex Theory——Prim-Unity·Prim-Fire (Web3 network energy metabolic efficiency), Two Principles·Yin-Yang (dynamic balance between decentralization and effective governance), Three Realms·GC⁴A (cross-scale integration from technological infrastructure to application ecosystems to global governance), Four Phenomena·Four Colors (four-phase differentiated strategies for the Web3 lifecycle), Five Elements·Five Models (coupling of computational deficit/phase-transition early warning/spatial zoning/crypto balance sheet/systemic resilience), Six Dimensions·Six Directions (six-directional spatial layout of global Web3 infrastructure and the digital divide), Seven Luminaires·Seven Rhythms (synchronization between technological iteration cycles and governance response cycles), and Eight Trigrams·Eight Information (Web3 information network entropy and on-chain governance transparency)——this paper constructs, for the first time, an eight-dimensional quantitative assessment system for Web3 governance. It elaborates, dimension by dimension, the calculation principles, mathematical formulas, parameter meanings, and data sources. Using three empirical anchors——DAO governance attacks and reform experiments, DeFi protocol risk evolution, and the formation of global regulatory frameworks——this paper demonstrates the application pathway of the eight-dimensional framework in identifying “phase differences” and “critical windows” in Web3 governance, and proposes the “Web3 Governance Health Index” (Ψ_Web3), providing a quantifiable, programmable, and auditable mathematical language and governance tool for the transition of global Web3 from a “decentralized utopia” to an “eight-dimensional coherent state.”

Akash Narayan

ABSTRACT:When the web's traffic was mostly human, an interface could be rationed with blunt tools: a flat fee, a fixed rate limit, akey that let a client in. Demand arrived at the pace a person could click, and capacity was rarely the binding constraint.That world is ending. By 2026 the majority of requests across much of the web are machine-generated, most API trafficcomes from non-human callers, and the collapse in the price of model inference has, through the Jevons paradox,multiplied total demand rather than reduced it. Autonomous agents call interfaces in bursts, without hesitation, and at afrequency no human workflow produced. This paper argues that under machine demand an API becomes a congestiblecommons that must be allocated by price and priority rather than parcelled out by flat quota, and that the tokenisation ofaccess, its conversion into priced, meterable, fungible units, is the substrate that makes such allocation possible. Drawingon the economics of congestion pricing, it examines the available mechanisms, from usage-sensitive smart markets andParis Metro-style priority tiers to auctions and prepaid spot capacity, and sets out the properties agents bring to them. Itshows that the same absence of human hesitation that makes agents ideal responders to congestion prices also makesthem prone to over-consumption, synchronised retry storms and denial-of-wallet failures. It closes with the governanceproblems this raises, and connects them to earlier work in this series on metering, thresholds and delegated cost. Keywords: API economy; tokenization; congestion pricing; resource allocation; autonomous agents; machine-to-machinetraffic; denial of wallet; Jevons paradox; priority pricing; metering Disclosure by Author: Portions of this manuscript were prepared with the assistance of generative AI tools for research synthesis, drafting, and editing. The models used were Indian Sovereign AI models provided by Ayen.

Rubhesh Jha

Purpose — Both Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and Holacracies are positioned as alternatives to managerial hierarchy, yet they remain largely uncompared in the organizational theory literature. This paper asks: in what ways do DAOs and Holacracies converge and diverge as decentralized governance structures, and under what organizational conditions is each model more effective?Design/methodology/approach — This paper employs a conceptual comparative methodology, synthesizing organizational theory, open strategy scholarship and blockchain governance literature to map both structures across six governance dimensions: authority distribution, decision mechanism, membership and inclusion, accountability system, transparency and adaptability. Three theoretical propositions are developed.Findings — Although DAOs and Holacracies share a commitment to decentralized authority, they differ fundamentally in governance architecture. Holacracy achieves decentralization through formalized role-based consent governance; DAOs rely on algorithmic enforcement via smart contracts and token-weighted voting. These differences produce distinct failure modes — role ambiguity and cultural resistance in Holacracy; plutocratic concentration and voter apathy in DAOs.Practical implications — Organizations considering decentralized governance can use the typology developed here to match governance model to organizational context. High-formalization environments benefit from Holacracy's constitution-based approach; open, distributed communities may favor DAO architectures, provided token-concentration mechanisms are counteracted.Originality/value — This is the first paper to systematically compare Holacracy and DAO governance through an integrated organizational theory lens, connecting open strategy scholarship with blockchain governance research. Three falsifiable propositions and a governance typology are contributed.

Fabio Bassan

Il contributo analizza il ruolo delle piattaforme digitali nell’evoluzione dei mercati contemporanei e le trasformazioni prodotte dall’integrazione tra Web2, Web3 e intelligenza artificiale. L’Autore esamina l’emersione di nuovi modelli economici fondati sulla gestione dei dati, sulla profilazione degli utenti e sulla crescente capacità delle piattaforme di incidere sulle scelte dei consumatori e sugli equilibri istituzionali. Emergono cosi le differenze tra i modelli regolatori adottati nell’Unione europea, negli Stati Uniti e in Cina, evidenziando il ruolo centrale delle autorità indipendenti e delle reti europee di coordinamento nella costruzione di strumenti di vigilanza, enforcement e cross-regulation. Particolare attenzione è dedicata ai settori strategici interessati dalla trasformazione digitale — trasporti, mercati finanziari, energia, cybersicurezza e contratti pubblici — nei quali l’interazione tra piattaforme, dati e intelligenza artificiale impone nuove forme di tutela dei consumatori e nuovi modelli di regolazione partecipata. The contribution analyses the role of digital platforms in the evolution of contemporary markets and the transformations generated by the interaction between Web2, Web3 and artificial intelligence. The Author examines the emergence of new economic models based on data management, user profiling and the increasing ability of platforms to influence consumer choices and institutional balances. The work explores the different regulatory approaches adopted by the European Union, the United States and China, highlighting the central role of independent authorities and European coordination networks in developing mechanisms of supervision, enforcement and cross-regulation. Particular attention is devoted to strategic sectors affected by digital transformation — including transport, financial markets, energy, cybersecurity and public procurement — where the interaction between platforms, data and artificial intelligence requires new forms of consumer protection and innovative models of participatory regulation.

Stefan Scharnowski, Yanghua Shi

Miners of proof-of-work networks like Bitcoin tend to gravitate towards regions with cheap energy. We analyze risks associated with this geographical centralization by exploiting a local electricity supply shock. Compared to a control group consisting of an energy-efficient proof-of-stake cryptocurrency, the blockchain’s capacity for processing transactions decreases while transaction fees increase substantially. The increased settlement latency on the blockchain also reduces secondary market quality as seen in higher exchange rate volatility, lower liquidity, and larger price differences between exchanges. Overall, our results suggest that geographical centralization poses short-lived but potentially severe system-wide risks to proof-of-work networks.

Vinod Arya, Shubham Singh

In the contemporary landscape of modernity, characterised by the evolving information age, cryptocurrencies have emerged as a decentralised mode of transaction, qualifying to be termed as liquid modernity (Bauman, 2012). The apparent fluidity, flexibility and the unrevealed potentially rigid tendencies inherent in cryptocurrencies; present it as a virgin domain to be researched with sociological perspectives. This paper aims to understand and outline the history of monetary systems starting from the ancient practice of barter to the establishment of national currencies, and up to the recent advent of cryptocurrency, in an evolutionary framework. As the second objective, this paper attempts to delineate the mechanism of construction and the causal explanations for the adoption and diffusion of cryptocurrency from a sociological lens. In view of the factual status of its legitimation and denial by different governing authorities, the third objective of this paper is to explore into the nuances pertaining to trust, governance and dynamics of power relations with a exploratory concern for rigidity within the claimed fluidity of the cryptocurrency and its utilisation. However, we are assuming one conclusion for our study and that is we are going to get stuck with more significant questions rather than the answers for our objectives.

Sangtian Guan, Juanjuan Li, Siji Ma, Xiaolong Liang · 6 authors

This paper discusses the technological development from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0, focusing on their corresponding economic models. The study begins by analyzing the Web 1.0 portal economy, followed by an in-depth exploration of the rise of the Web 2.0 platform economy and its associated challenges, including the lemon market, platform monopolies, price discrimination, and algorithmic asymmetries. To address those issues, this study elaborates on the Web 3.0 token economy and emphasizes the crucial role of decentralized technologies like blockchain in bringing new production factors and relationships. This inspires the proposal of the Decentralized Economy (DeEco), a novel user-autonomous economic model that integrates advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies with blockchain. Furthermore, the key techniques for formulating DeEco are analyzed, including Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and Operations (DAOs), Decentralized Value Systems (DVSs), Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) and digital humans. This study not only offers a co-evolutionary perspective of web technologies and economic forms but also introduces an innovative economic paradigm to support open, diverse and intelligent societies.

Baptiste Beltzer, Emmanuel Conchon, Sylvain Giroux

In this article, we focus on personal data management in service exchange networks, where members meet each other to share services based on their skills. Through the case study of the Accorderie (a Quebec solidarity cooperative), we propose an innovative protocol designed to reinforce the confidentiality of data relative to members’ addresses and service intervention locations. Using distributed ledger and peer-to-peer interaction, our proposal minimizes the Accorderie’s direct involvement while keeping its position as a trusted authority, allowing members to engage in direct interactions without reliance on a centralized platform. We present three versions of private set membership protocols specially designed to manage locations in the sharing economy. Finally, our findings suggest that decentralized solutions could be a relevant support for solidarity communities, in particular by enhancing member privacy and security, but also by facilitating and reducing maintenance costs.

Aditya Pethe

The global gig economy has witnessed exponential growth, contributing significantly to the digital labor market. However, traditional centralized freelancing platforms (e.g., Upwork, Fiverr) are plagued by high intermediary fees (up to 20%), delayed settlements, and opaque dispute resolution mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive review of blockchain based alternatives, analyzing the efficacy of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in mitigating these centralization bottlenecks. We critically examine existing smart contract based escrow mechanisms and identify key challenges in scalability and user adoption. Based on this review, we propose “Delance,” a hybrid Web3 architecture that utilizes the Polygon network to minimize gas fees while ensuring instant, trustless settlements. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed architecture reduces transaction costs by 98% compared to traditional Web2 platforms, validating the feasibility of a decentralized freelance ecosystem.

Ma. Grace B. Sañosa-Docallos

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) pose a significant challenge to traditional legal frameworks.

Alexandre Pires Barbosa, Douglas Wegner, Rodrigo Pereira dos Santos

Research Context: Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO) emerge as innovative structures operating on blockchain infrastructures, providing transparency, decentralization, and autonomy in digital governance and coordination processes. Scientific and/or Practical Problem: Despite their transformative potential, DAO face significant obstacles, such as scalability limitations, risks of power concentration, legal ambiguities, and complex incentive models. Proposed Solution and/or Analysis: This study investigates recent scientific literature on DAO, seeking to understand their current state, focusing on how they have been conceptualized, characterized, evaluated, and applied. Related IS Theory: The research draws on the wisdom of crowd theory, which explains how collective decision-making can overcome individual choices, and sociotechnical theory, which emphasizes the interaction between technological infrastructures and social structures. Together, these perspectives frame DAO as hybrid systems that integrate algorithmic processes with collective human governance. Research Method: A systematic mapping study was conducted, encompassing the collection, selection, and coding of 47 primary studies published in relevant scientific sources. Summary of Results: The results highlight the conceptual consensus on the decentralized and smart contract-based nature of DAO, propose categories of structural challenges, and map recurring application domains, such as decentralized finance (DeFi), open science, energy, and digital art. Furthermore, the results demonstrate the transition of DAO from algorithmic entities to sociotechnical hybrids, connected to emerging trends such as the metaverse, NFTs, and decentralized artificial intelligence. Contributions and Impact to IS area: This study provides an updated theoretical foundation for the IS area, mapping the state of the art of DAO, identifying structural challenges, and emphasizing their evolution toward hybrid models. Most importantly, it reveals the complexity and originality of uniting the three main pillars of information systems (code, governance, and automated processes), thus contributing to the design of more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable digital governance systems in emerging decentralized ecosystems.

Leonid Melnyk, Lyudmila Kalinichenko, Oleksandr Kubatko, Yuliia Rozghon · 7 authors

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe freelance economy opens new ways for direct interaction between freelancers and customers without intermediaries. This study aims to systematize the forms of the freelance economy in the context of Industry 5.0. A structured review methodology focusing on technological progress and human-centric solutions of the freelance economy is used. Freelancing and Industry 5.0 are closely intertwined and complement each other, forming new economic models and work processes. Their relationship lies in the combination of technological development and human creativity, which allows for the formation of efficient and flexible economic structures. Personalization and customization of consumption within Industry 5.0 promote the freelancing (individualization) of the production sphere, building a win-win strategy both for consumers and producers. Freelancing economy focuses on information processing of work, enables remote communications, promotes creativity of work, provides opportunities for the synergistic combination of human cognitive abilities with AI, ensures the development of personalization and customization of consumption, and contributes to the social development of workers. The structure of the forms of the freelance economy is characterized by the integration of decentralized financial systems, the use of artificial intelligence and blockchain, and the transition to new forms of labor organization based on global digital platforms and self-regulated organizations. One of the key barriers to the freelance economy is the lack of legal regulation of cryptocurrencies and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), as well as the associated cybersecurity risks. To summarize, the significance lies in creating a more adaptive, flexible, and decentralized labor market that meets the challenges of today’s digital world.AcknowledgmentsThis research was funded by a grant “Fundamental grounds for Ukraine’s transition to a digital economy based on the implementation of Industries 3.0; 4.0; 5.0” (No. 0124U000576) and “Digital transformations to ensure civil protection and post-war economic recovery in the face of environmental and social challenges” (No. 0124U000549). 

Harini S

Recruitment and payroll processes in organizations often suffer from lack of transparency, fraud risks, verification delays, and diminished trust among stakeholders. Blockchain technology, through its decentralized, immutable, and smart contract-enabled features, provides a viable solution to these persistent challenges. This conceptual paper proposes an integrated framework for applying blockchain to recruitment and payroll management. The framework emphasizes transparency via auditable ledgers and trust through verifiable records and automated execution. It draws on distributed ledger principles and synthesizes recent literature to map blockchain layers to HR functions. Benefits include reduced fraud, faster verification, automated disbursements, and enhanced stakeholder confidence. Challenges such as privacy, scalability, and regulatory compliance are discussed with mitigation approaches. The model offers theoretical propositions and practical guidelines, particularly relevant for emerging economies like India with growing gig and digital workforces. This work contributes to blockchain applications in human resource management (HRM) and supports digital HR transformation.

Saran J, S Harish, Mr. K. Arunkumar

This research presents a blockchain-enabled freelancing platform that integrates smart contract-based escrow, decentralized identity, and intelligent freelancer matching to promote trust, transparency, and automation in digital labor markets. The system uses an Ethereum-compatible smart contract called Freelance Escrow, which manages the funding of projects securely, restricts interactions between employers and freelancers to a few specific roles, and automates the release of payments based on the verifiable completion of work. A Python-based blockchain interface developed using Web3.py is used to deploy contracts, sign transactions, and retrieve the current states, while a Streamlit front end provides authentication for user, project, and wallet operations. The platform includes a TF-IDF similarity model that matches freelancers to projects based on relevant skills and semantic similarity, as well as a structured database using SQLite, in which all users, profiles, and project metadata are stored. Comprehensive analysis reveals that the application has strengths in automation, transparency, and enforcement of workflow, while addressing privacy concerns around private key handling, file path inconsistencies, and Web3 library compatibility. The research demonstrates a working end-to-end architecture for decentralized freelance contracting and establishes a foundation for building further secure, scalable, and trust-preserving digital marketplaces.

José Pablo Salazar Aguilar

The rapid expansion of blockchain infrastructures, Web3 architectures, and immersive metaverse environments has reignited calls for a Universal Code of Digital Ethics. International organizations, technology leaders, and multilateral forums increasingly advocate for global standards capable of guiding decentralized innovation toward inclusion, transparency, and social good. Yet the normative ambition of universality confronts a structural contradiction: digital access, connectivity quality, and technological literacy remain profoundly unequal across the Global South.Ethical frameworks for Web3 and the metaverse often presuppose a baseline of connectivity, computational capacity, and institutional stability that large segments of humanity do not possess. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified these asymmetries, accelerating digital transformation in high-income countries while deepening infrastructural gaps elsewhere. Concurrently, geopolitical tensions and emerging techno-nationalist strategies have repoliticized digital infrastructure as a domain of strategic competition rather than global solidarity.This Opinion article argues that any claim to a "universal" digital ethics framework is normatively fragile unless it incorporates a structural critique of global capitalism, technological acceleration, and asymmetrical power. Drawing on critical theory-particularly Herbert Marcuse's concept of the "one-dimensional man"-as well as Marxian analyses of technology and capital, I contend that ethical discourse risks becoming ideologically functional to market expansion if it fails to address material inequalities in connectivity and digital capability (Marcuse, 1972;Marx, 2005;García Ramírez, 2021).proposals but also problematizes the concept of universality itself as a normative and political construct.Global ethics initiatives often frame digital transformation as inherently democratizing. Blockchain is described as decentralized, Web3 as user-empowering, and the metaverse as participatory. However, decentralization at the protocol level does not necessarily translate into equitable access at the societal level.In regions of the Global South, access to stable broadband remains limited, mobile data costs are disproportionate to income, and digital literacy gaps persist. Under such conditions, the ethical vocabulary of autonomy, self-sovereign identity, and tokenized participation becomes aspirational rather than operative.Marx's analysis of technology as a force embedded within relations of production remains instructive. Technology is not neutral; it is shaped by capital accumulation dynamics (Marx, 2005). Fumikazu (1983) similarly emphasized that technological evolution must be understood historically and politically. When applied to Web3 ecosystems, this suggests that blockchain infrastructures operate within global financial logics that may reproduce, rather than dissolve, structural dependency.Contemporary Science and Technology Studies (STS) and critical philosophy of technology further reinforce this perspective. Feenberg (1999) argues that technology is not merely instrumental but socially constructed and politically conditioned, shaped by dominant interests yet open to democratic transformation. Similarly, Yuk Hui (2020) challenges the presumed universality of technological rationality, proposing the concept of "technodiversity" to account for plural technological trajectories rooted in different cultural and cosmological traditions. These perspectives suggest that any ethical framework for digital technologies must recognize the multiplicity of socio-technical realities rather than assume a homogeneous global condition.Thus, a universal code of digital ethics risks functioning as what critical theory would describe as ideological abstraction-detached from the material preconditions required for ethical agency.Herbert Marcuse's One-Dimensional Man (1972) provides a compelling lens through which to interpret contemporary digital governance. Marcuse argued that advanced industrial societies generate a form of technological rationality that integrates dissent by absorbing it into the logic of efficiency and consumption.In the context of Web3 and the metaverse, ethical discourse may become one-dimensional when it focuses on procedural compliance (privacy standards, transparency metrics, algorithmic audits) while neglecting structural exclusion. The language of inclusion becomes embedded within market expansion strategies. As Daum (2018) argues, digital capitalism increasingly converts users into capital itself-data, attention, and participation become monetizable assets.From a constructivist perspective, technologies such as blockchain are not inherently emancipatory but acquire meaning through their social embedding (Bijker, 1995). This implies that ethical claims about decentralization and empowerment must be evaluated in relation to the socio-economic contexts in which these technologies are deployed. Without such contextualization, ethical discourse risks overstating the transformative potential of technological architectures. This dynamic is particularly visible when global institutions promote digital entrepreneurship and blockchain adoption in developing regions without parallel investments in public infrastructure, education, and regulatory sovereignty. The rhetoric of empowerment may conceal asymmetric dependency.Cañas Quirós (2023) emphasizes that ethics cannot be separated from political structures; morality detached from power analysis risks legitimizing unjust arrangements. In this sense, digital ethics frameworks must confront the political economy of connectivity rather than merely codify behavioral norms for technology developers.Digital governance is increasingly entangled with geopolitical competition. Infrastructure financing, cloud sovereignty, semiconductor supply chains, and cybersecurity alliances shape technological ecosystems. In this context, international organizations often advocate regulatory harmonization to "facilitate innovation" and "reduce market friction".While harmonization may lower barriers for cross-border digital services, it can simultaneously constrain policy autonomy in developing nations. Ethical frameworks that prioritize market efficiency risk subordinating universal connectivity goals to investor confidence and capital mobility.García Ramírez (2021) calls for a "Marx in the South," reinterpreting technology through the lens of rights, education, and structural inequality. From this perspective, Web3 adoption without universal broadband is analogous to building virtual property rights atop infrastructural scarcity. The promise of decentralized finance or immersive governance becomes utopian-or dystopian-when foundational digital rights remain unrealized.The acceleration principle of technological evolution -where innovation in wealthy nations compounds exponentially-renders access in peripheral regions inversely proportional to global advancement. Ethical frameworks that ignore this asymmetry may inadvertently normalize a tiered digital citizenship.The assumption that a single set of ethical principles can be universally applicable across diverse socio-cultural and technological contexts has been widely debated. From decolonial and pluralist perspectives, ethical frameworks are historically situated and epistemically conditioned (Escobar, 2018). What is considered "ethical" in one context may not translate directly into another, particularly when technological infrastructures, cultural values, and political systems differ significantly.In this sense, the concept of a Universal Code of Digital Ethics may be inherently paradoxical. Rather than a fixed and homogeneous set of principles, digital ethics may need to be understood as a plural and adaptive framework, capable of accommodating different technological ontologies and social priorities. This does not imply abandoning normative aspirations, but rather rethinking universality as negotiated, situated, and contingent.If a global digital ethics framework is to be normatively defensible-whether universal or plural-it must integrate structural and contextual dimensions:If universality is to be normatively defensible, digital ethics must integrate at least five structural components:If universality is to be normatively defensible, digital ethics must integrate at least five structural components:1.Material Preconditions Clause: Ethical standards should explicitly recognize connectivity, affordability, and digital literacy as prerequisites for meaningful participation.Political Economy Transparency: Frameworks must disclose how market incentives shape technological deployment.Geopolitical Reflexivity: Digital governance should account for power asymmetries between states and corporations.Public Infrastructure Commitment: Ethical guidelines must prioritize universal broadband as a public good, not merely a commercial opportunity.Critical Participation Mechanisms: Inclusion must extend beyond tokenized representation toward substantive decision-making capacity.5.6. Epistemic Pluralism: Ethical frameworks must recognize diverse knowledge systems, cultural values, and technological imaginaries, particularly from the Global South.Such principles align ethics with transformative social justice rather than technocratic governance.The aspiration to develop a Universal Code of Digital Ethics for Web3 and the metaverse is commendable. However, without structural critique, universality risks becoming rhetorical. Critical theory reminds us that technological systems embed power relations (Marcuse, 1972). Marxian perspectives reveal how capital shapes technological deployment (Marx, 2005). Contemporary analyses from the Global South highlight the need to situate ethics within historical and geopolitical realities (García Ramírez, 2021;Cañas Quirós, 2023). The ethical question is not merely how to regulate blockchain or ensure transparency in virtual worlds. It is whether digital transformation reproduces one-dimensional rationality-where market logic absorbs ethical discourse-or fosters multidimensional emancipation grounded in material equality.A truly global digital ethics must therefore begin not with code, but with conditions. Without universal connectivity and critical capacity, Web3 and the metaverse risk becoming architectures of selective participation. Ethics, to be universal, must first be infrastructural. Ethics, whether conceived as universal or plural, must first be infrastructural, contextual, and politically grounded.

Jane Thomason

As Web3 architecture, artificial intelligence (AI), immersive environments, and connected devices converge, societies are moving from digitally mediated interaction to digitally programmed organisations, reshaping how value, labour, identity, learning, and participation are produced and governed. Programmable money, decentralised identity, AI-driven avatars, digital twins, and immersive environments illustrate how programmability collapses traditional distinctions between infrastructure, governance, and social behaviour. While these systems offer significant potential for inclusion, efficiency, and innovation, they also introduce profound ethical risks. This means that ethical challenges should become core governance elements, as code, data, and automated systems increasingly mediate trust, agency, and power at scale. Ethical failures in digital systems can scale across platforms, populations, and jurisdictions. This paper conceptualises a structural shift in which institutional rules, incentives, and governance functions are increasingly executed directly within programmable digital infrastructure, making ethics, accountability, and trust intrinsic properties of system design.

Mohamad Kassab, Rabeya Zahan Mily, Valdemar Vicente Graciano Neto

We report a five-year, construct-preserving longitudinal replication of a 2020 empirical study of blockchain-engineer job advertisements, extended to a global 2025 cohort. Using mixed text-mining and expert-validated coding grounded in established competency taxonomies, we analyze 235 postings from 31 countries to examine how blockchain-specific, general technical, and soft-skill demands have evolved under an aligned measurement protocol. The findings indicate professional maturation from single-platform prototyping toward multi-chain, production-grade engineering that integrates back-end development, deployment operations, and security. Ethereum remains the most frequently cited platform, while Solana and other ecosystems increase platform diversity. Smart-contract development becomes a baseline expectation, with Solidity remaining central and Rust and Move becoming mainstream. Operational tooling such as cloud and containerization, alongside security-oriented practices including audits and zero-knowledge proofs, appears as recurring demand signals. Soft-skill mentions rise substantially, while formal degree requirements decline in favor of experience-based qualification. We contribute an updated 2025 competency atlas and empirically grounded implications for software engineering research, hiring, and curriculum design, while acknowledging comparability limits inherent to global sampling and cross-period labor-market conditions.