Shermin Voshgmir. © Alexander Koch

How do you get people to behave desired manner? Mostly, by rewarding them, behavioral economists call this "nudging." In future the reward for saving electricity, the reduction of CO2 emissions or waste separation could be in the form of cryptocurrencies. The Vienna Institute for Crypto-Economics has now set itself the task of exploring the possibilities of blockchains for sustainability.

"The token economy can bring a new form of incentivization," says Shermin Voshmgir, who heads the Crypto Institute with Alfred Taudes. She speaks of "purpose tokens" that can reward citizens and consumers with good deeds.

"Many aspects of blockchain technology can be helpful in verifying the behavior of individuals, companies, and governments about how sustainable they really are," says Voshmgir, who became known as the founder of Blockchain Hub in Berlin. For the research project "Programming a Sustainable World", the Vienna Institute for Crypto-Economics cooperates with the Regional Center of Expertise (RDC) of the Vienna University of Economics and Business and has received a grant of 200,000 euros from the Austria Development Agency (ADA). The new research project was presented at the European Forum Alpbach.

Startups as partners

"Austria is very much committed to sustainability, so we can position ourselves internationally," says Voshmgir. In order to give the project international relevance, a partnership with UNIDO has also been signed. And startups dedicated to sustainability are also involved in the project. Voshmgir mentions The Sun Protocol (decentralized energy production, Germany), goood (social business in the mobile sector, Austria) and Changers.com (occupational health promotion, Berlin). In addition, students are also encouraged to discuss how the technology, behind Bitcoin and Ethereum, for impact projects.

In the first year, the team, which currently consists of five persons, is to map potential use cases in the research project. This will then be used to define pilot projects, which in turn will be implemented with companies. In addition, at an Unconference 2019 in Vienna, one will be able to see how far research has progressed.

Blockchain everywhere

The Blockchain is at the Forum Alpbach, where famous politicians, entrepreneurs and scientists meet annually to discuss issues of the future, a big topic. During a breakout session, Alfred Taudes of the Vienna Institute for Crypto-Economics discussed with representatives of banks and politics the implications of Blockchain on the economy and society. In addition, the Italian businessman Davide Casaleggio announced that the software "Rousseau" wants to make polls with the Blockchain and make it transparent. "Rousseau" is used internally by the Italian 5-star movement (Movimento 5 Stelle, M5S for short) so members can vote on bills. (Trending Topics reported / see press release)