Lorenzo Ceragioli, Pierpaolo Degano, Letterio Galletta, Luca Viganò
People increasingly use digital platforms to exchange resources in accordance with some policies stating what resources users offer and what they require in return. In this paper, we propose a formal model of these environments, focussing on how users' policies are defined and enforced, so ensuring that malicious users cannot take advantage of honest ones. To that end, we introduce the declarative policy language MuAC and equip it with a formal semantics. To determine if a resource exchange is fair, i.e., if it respects the MuAC policies in force, we introduce the non-standard logic MuACL that combines non-linear, linear and contractual aspects, and prove it decidable. Notably, the operator for contractual implication of MuACL is not expressible in linear logic. We define a semantics preserving compilation of MuAC policies into MuACL, thus establishing that exchange fairness is reduced to finding a proof in MuACL. Finally, we show how this approach can be put to work on a blockchain to exchange non-fungible tokens.
Iraq is a compelling example of a state highly dependent on a singular source of rent, namely oil revenue. Since 2003, Iraq has also been characterized by a fractured, rivalrous elite without central control over organized violence. This formula represents a “rentier political marketplace” in which state funds for salaries and contracts are the essential lubricant of the political system. During 2014–2021, successive shocks to national oil revenues represented a partial and temporary, but traumatic, decarbonization of Iraq’s government and political finance. In turn, this triggered a series of governance and political reconfigurations including a nominal decentralization process and fracturing of sectarian power, followed by a nationwide civic movement demanding transformational change. This paper traces these changes and the abrupt return to business as usual when oil prices rebounded. In doing so, the paper further investigates the nexus between oil and democracy in Iraq and addresses the unanswered question of how Iraq can decarbonize and democratize in the future.
Technological advancements have significantly shaped global society, leading to widespread reliance on technology across various domains. This pervasive influence is particularly evident in the daily lives of individuals, who heavily depend on the digital world and internet connectivity. Crucial sectors such as finance, trade, and the creative industry have embraced the digital realm, with the emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) representing a novel approach for creators to acquire recognition and value for their work. However, this technological progress has also presented opportunities for criminal exploitation, as illicit activities such as money laundering and terrorism funding have transitioned to the digital landscape. This study employs a secondary research methodology to investigate the vulnerabilities associated with the use of NFTs as a medium for money laundering and terrorism funding. The study aims to highlight the potential implications for national economic resilience if these issues are not adequately addressed and securitized. By combining the constructivism theory with the concept of securitization, this work explores how the adoption of NFTs can pose a national concern, affecting both economic stability and security. Furthermore, the research reveals that the anonymity feature inherent in NFT transactions facilitates easier execution of money laundering and terrorism funding activities, thereby posing risks to a country's national security and economic resilience.
Abstract Blockchain technology has been considered a vehicle to foster development in poor countries by promoting applications such as secure delivery of humanitarian aid, digital identity services, and proof of provenance. This article examines whether (and if so, how) blockchain technology can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of foreign aid governance, thereby moving beyond completely anonymous contexts. Foreign aid governance is plagued by lack of credible commitments among states, which are further exacerbated by information asymmetries and which often undermine aid effectiveness. In this context, blockchain technology holds two promises. First, through the guaranteed execution of smart contracts, it can strengthen the credibility of state commitments, for example collective burden-sharing rules among a group of donors or recipient country compliance with policy conditionality in return for aid. Second, through leveraging prediction markets, blockchain technology can allay information problems related to the verification of real-world events along the entire aid delivery chain.
s - This study investigated the causal relationship between quantity of fish sold and marketing costs in Adamawa State. Specifically, the profitability was determined and distribution channels identified. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 80 fish marketers using purposive and simple random sampling technique from Jimeta, Yola, Gurin and Labondo markets. Analytical tools used were descriptive statistics, market margin and multiple regression analysis. The result showed a margin of 39.8% which could be attributed to the marketing functions. The study identified a decentralized distribution channel in the area. Regression analysis revealed an R2 of 63.8%, F-value of 8.93 and a very low standard error of 0.38889. The result further revealed that initial capital, cost of fish, processing cost and handling charges were positive and significant at different levels indicating that they were the major determinants of selling prices of processed fish in the area. The study concluded that processed fish marketing in the study area was profitable. It recommended that marketers should form a strong co-operative society. There is also a need for government intervention by reducing tax and providing licence to increase the number of micro-credit finance institutions.