To read this content please select one of the options below:

A design for tokenization in governmental investment

Romildo Silva (Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal)
Rui Pedro Marques (Higher Institute of Accounting and Administration, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal and Algoritmi Centre, University of Minho, Guimarães, Portugal)
Helena Inácio (Research Unit GOVCOPP, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal)

International Journal of Accounting & Information Management

ISSN: 1834-7649

Article publication date: 1 December 2023

Issue publication date: 19 January 2024

94

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the possible efficiency gains in using tokenization for the execution of public expenditure on governmental investments.

Design/methodology/approach

Through design science research methodology, the exploratory research produced a tokenized prototype in the blockchain, through the Ernst and Young OpsChain traceability solution, allowing automated processes in the stages of public expense. A focus group composed of auditors from the public sector evaluated the possibility of improving the quality of information available in the audited entities, where the tokens created represent and register the actions of public agents in the blockchain Polygon.

Findings

The consensus of the experts in the focus group indicated that the use of tokenization could improve the quality of the information, since the possibility of recording the activities of public agents in the metadata of the tokens at each stage of the execution of the expenditure allows the audited entities the advantages of the information recorded on the blockchain, according to the following ranking: first the immutability of audited data, followed by reliability, transparency, accessibility and efficiency of data structures.

Originality/value

This research makes an empirical contribution to the real use of tokenization in blockchain technology to the public sector through a value chain in which tokens were created and moved between the wallets of public agents to represent, register and track the operations regarding public expense execution.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The present work has been possible thanks to the incentive program set by postgraduate scholarship from Federal District Audit Court (TCDF, Brazil), for which we thank the Presidents Anilcéia Machado (2019-2020), Paulo Tadeu (2021-2022), Márcio Michel (2023), and Counc. Manoel de Andrade, Renato Rainha, Inácio Magalhães Filho and Paiva Martins for supporting the qualification of auditors during the PhD program; and Mr Federico de Poli, the EY OpsChain Global Product Manager, for making the EY blockchain system available.

Citation

Silva, R., Marques, R.P. and Inácio, H. (2024), "A design for tokenization in governmental investment", International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 19-39. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJAIM-03-2023-0070

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles