---
# System prepended metadata

title: Economic API at the edge
tags: [What does ESP enable at the edge?]

---

# The Economic API at the Edge

## Programming agency directly into the network

Full Economic API at the Edge: The practical interface provided by the Economic Space Protocol (ESP) that allows Economic Space Agents (individuals, collectives, AIs) to exercise their economic space agency directly within the network. It exposes programmable functions for core economic actions beyond simple asset transfer.

A core promise of the Economic Space Protocol (ESP) is to move beyond systems where participants merely submit basic transactions to a central logic (like a blockchain's global state machine). ESP achieves this by providing what can be understood as a "Full Economic API" directly accessible to agents at the network edge.

### What is an "Economic API"?
Just as a software API (Application Programming Interface) allows different programs to interact and leverage each other's functions, ESP's Economic API provides a standardized yet flexible set of programmable functions for agents to engage in rich economic activity directly via protocol. It's the technical means through which Internet-Native Economic Agency is expressed and enacted.


### Capabilities Exposed at the Edge:
Instead of just send(token, amount, address), the ESP API enables agents to directly invoke functions related to the core elements of Distributed Economic Computation, like 
* Value Definition & Computation
    * propose_utility_metric(dimension,measurement_method)
    * compute_utility_contribution(performance_data, target_U)
    * query_current_utility_state(dimension)
* Programmable Relationships:
    * stake_commitment(target_agent_or_performance, amount, conditions)
    * issue_credit(recipient_agent, amount, terms, collateral_link)
    * validate_performance(performance_id, outcome_data)
    * form_collective(agent_list, ruleset_hash)
* Coordination & Governance:
    * propose_rule_change(protocol_module, change_details)
    * vote_on_proposal(proposal_id, stake_weight)
    * allocate_resource(resource_pool, allocation_logic)
    * signal_preference(topic, weight)

### Significance:
Providing this full API at the edge means:
* Reduced Intermediation: Agents can coordinate complex actions directly without relying on centralized platforms or bespoke smart contracts for every interaction type.
* Enhanced Composability: Agents can combine these core economic primitives to build novel financial instruments, DAOs with embedded economic logic, and complex coordination mechanisms.
* True Distribution of Agency: Power isn't just in validating transactions, but in defining value, structuring relationships, and participating in governance programmatically.
* AI Agent Integration: Provides a clear interface for AI agents to participate as first-class economic actors within the network.

ESP's Economic API transforms network participation from merely using a system to actively computing with and shaping the economic space itself. It's the technical foundation for distributing economic intelligence and agency fully to the network edge.
