A system (100) and method (300) for mesh/ad hoc participation is provided. The method can include providing (310) an incentive to a user operating a device in an ad hoc network and determining (320) network resources associated with providing the incentive. The method can establish a credit system for devices within the ad hoc network, evaluate a supply and demand for the network resources, and allocate credits to the devices for forwarding packets in the ad hoc network. The method can determine a delivery capacity for the devices and negotiate an optimal packet route through the devices in the ad hoc network based on the supply and demand.