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Contribution–Access Network (CAN)

Policy and Institutional Overview

Purpose

CAN is a coordination framework designed to complement existing monetary, fiscal, and regulatory systems. It enables improved allocation of essential resources through verified contribution, behavioural reliability, and contextual human needs.

CAN is not intended to replace money. It provides a parallel coordination layer that strengthens social resilience and institutional legitimacy in digitally mediated economies — and acts as a bridge toward direct value handling.

Why this matters now

Digitally mediated economies are increasingly shaped by AI, platforms, and network effects. Money remains essential, but it compresses multiple dimensions of reality into a single scalar price signal. This can reduce allocative accuracy in public services and can undermine legitimacy where citizens perceive market dynamics as misaligned with social needs.

CAN provides a structured way to recognise direct value (contribution), operational trust (reliability), and human context (care) as first-class signals in allocation decisions.

Relationship to CBDC and Digital Public Infrastructure

CAN is designed to operate on top of CBDC and digital identity infrastructures.

CBDC platforms can provide: - Secure settlement layers (where monetary settlement is appropriate) - Identity verification hooks - Auditability and policy-relevant observability - Optional programmability under clear legal constraints

Within CAN, this infrastructure supports transparent access management, conditional service delivery, and accountable governance. CAN can therefore be a meaningful way to use CBDC infrastructure beyond payments — as a bridge toward regulated forms of direct value handling.

Governance Model

CAN uses federated, transparent governance structures: - Local/sectoral councils - Rotating leadership - Public audit trails - Appeals and redress pathways - Independent evaluation

No permanent central authority is embedded in the system design.

Policy Applications (pilot-first)

  • Social and affordable housing allocation
  • Energy support schemes
  • Public transport access
  • Lifelong learning / reskilling
  • Health and care coordination

Risk management

  • Algorithmic bias → independent audits, fairness testing, human oversight
  • Data security → encryption, least privilege, incident reporting
  • Elite capture → rotating governance, transparency, time-limited mandates
  • Function creep → legal boundaries, separation of powers, data minimisation

Evaluation framework (examples)

  • Allocation accuracy and service targeting
  • Equity and inclusion indicators
  • Participation and retention rates
  • Complaints/appeals resolution time
  • Public trust and satisfaction measures
  • System resilience metrics (uptime, stress tests)