Ricerc@Sapienza

In modern economies money is an essential tool. Despite this fundamental role, providing a clear and unanimously accepted definition is complex. We can think of defining money by focusing on different aspects: its form, its purposes, its users, or its functions. The idea of making it more democratic is based on the conviction that there is a need to allow everyone to be part of the society to which they belong.
The first step towards a democratization of money is to ensure equal opportunities for all to own property and thus full participation in the democratic governance of society.
The second step in the same direction should imply equal access to the credit system. It is clear that to set such an ambitious goal on the verge of a global crisis, leads to the need of finding a set of proper tools.
This project is based on the idea that the money as we know it, cannot be the suitable instrument to be use in a process of democratization as stressed above. The aim of this project is to investigate whether cryptocurrencies, can be employed in the process of democratizing money.
In the last decade, a multitude of digital coins and means of payment has emerged thanks to technological innovations. At present, it is not yet clear whether these tools will be able to generate a systemic improvement. For that reason, the aim of this project is to investigate how the use of these tools can determine welfare improvements and trigger a process of financial democratization.