The Network Analysis and Financial Diaries (NetFi) team researches complementary and community currencies that use an Unconditional Basic Income as a distribution mechanism. As a methodological team, NetFi develops, among other things, programs and procedures that can be used to research these currencies. It is currently developing three different software solutions for this purpose – including a program that can be used to analyze graph-based network data.

In this context, both the macro-stabilizing effect (Stodder/Lietaer 2016) and the local multiplier effect are being studied, using flow motif detection (Iosifidis et al. 2018). In addition, the financial diaries method is further developed and extended with categorization techniques. Both methods allow for a closer examination of how complementary and community currencies can be used and the usage behavior of currency participants.

With its heterodox research methods, the NetFi team provides a methodological toolbox that all researchers may use free of charge, and in the use of which the FRIBIS team is happy to provide support and advice upon request. By not only developing research methods and programs, but also providing comprehensive and free advice to users of the corresponding programs, NetFi aims to act as an interface between science and activism.

Prof. Dr. Janos Kertész
Full Professor and Head of the Department of Network and Data Science, Central European University, Vienna, Austria;
Ph.D. in Physics at the Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary
Publications
Lives in Vienna, Austria

Sowelu Avanzo
is a PhD student in Computer Science, MSc in Finance at the University of Torino. His PhD project aims to study from a software engineering perspective Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and implement alternative models to achieve a positive socio-economic and environmental impact. He is a member of the research groups: Digital Territories and Communities (Computer Science dept. UNITO) and CETR (ESOMAS dept., UNITO). He previously worked as a research fellow at the Computer Science Department, where he collaborated with the CO3 project. This developed and piloted disruptive technologies including blockchain, for the co-production of public services.
His research activity also focused on the Sarafu Network, a system of interoperable community currencies based on the Ethereum blockchain. He contributed to the assessment of the socio-economic impact of Sarafu among the rural communities in Kenya in collaboration with the Grassroots Economic foundation. He aims to develop an interdisciplinary approach to blockchain technologies integrating diverse disciplines and research methods.

FRIBIS Team Coordinator

Teodoro Criscione
Ph.D. Student in Network Science at the Department of Network and Data Science at Central European University, Vienna, Austria.
BA in Development Economics and International Cooperation, University of Florence, Italy;
MSc in Economics, University of Siena, Italy; external research collaborator for community-led credit and monetary innovations at Italian National Research Council.
Lives in Vienna, Austria

Aleeza Howitt

B.S. from Tufts University, Medford MA, USA
Ronin Institute Scholar specializing in the intersection of UBI and alternative currencies, especially government-independent projects.
Contributor to the Trustlines Network, BrightID.org, and publisher at UBIresearch.org. Founder of Borderless Basic Income. She is also a board member of the U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network (USBIG) and of Hedge for Humanity.
Lives in Berlin, Germany

Julio Linares

Co-President of Circles Coop eG.  in Berlin, and Social Outreach officer for the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN). Originally from Guatemala, Julio is a founding member of the Basic Income Network in Taiwan. MSc. Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics, London, UK. MA Applied Economics and Social Development, National Cheng Chi Univerisity, Taipei, Taiwan. Co-founder of the Community Currency Alliance.
Lives in Berlin, Germany

Blanka Vay

Co-President of Circles Coop eG and CEO of Basic Income Lab GmbH in Berlin. Founding Member of the Green Party in Hungary.
Lives in Berlin, Germany