We are a group of radical economists, finance theorists, software architects, game designers, artists, lawyers, peer production experts and decentralized application engineers – exactly what is needed to reimagine what economy can be.
Source: ECSA
Research Notes
Anarchapulco | Make Anarchy Great Again sponsored by bitcoin.com
The world’s premiere conference for Voluntaryist thinkers and activists held annually in Acapulco, Mexico.
Decentralized Governance in Sovrin
Decentralized systems require governance to function well. Ideally this governance should be clear, open, and effective without impacting the decentralized nature of the system. This post describes the governance of the Sovrin network. Our approach is a constitutional model based on an agreement we call the Sovrin Trust Framework that informs and guides everything from code development to the responsibilities of the various actors in the system. The Sovrin Trust Framework enables decentralized governance of the Sovrin network.
Smart contracts: terminology, technical limitations and real world complexity: Law, Innovation and Technology: Vol 9, No 2
ABSTRACTIf one is to believe the popular press and many “technical writings,” blockchains create not only a perfect transactional environment but also obviate the need for banks, lawyers and courts. The latter will soon be replaced by smart contracts: unbiased and infallible computer programs that form, perform and enforce agreements. Predictions of future revolutions must, however, be distinguished from the harsh reality of the commercial marketplace and the technical limitations of blockchains. The fact that a technological solution is innovative and elegant need not imply that it is commercially useful or legally viable. Apart from attempting a terminological “clean-up” surrounding the term smart contract, this paper presents some technological and legal constraints on their use. It confronts the popular claims concerning their ability to automate transactions and to ensure perfect performance. It also examines the possibility of reducing contractual relationships to code and the ability to integrate smart contracts with the complexities of the real world. A closer analysis reveals that smart contracts can hardly be regarded as a semi-mythical technology liberating the contracting parties from the shackles of traditional legal and financial institutions.
Blockchain Working Group – IAB Tech Lab
MISSION
To investigate the application of blockchain technology to address challenges in the digital advertising space and to develop standards and best practices for the utilization of blockchain technology.
STATUS
At present, the working group is working on developing education for blockchain technology and its use in advertising. The members will work on setting priorities for business use cases and required technology standards and best practices.
Our CPDP panel on blockchain and copyright is online
Our CPDP 2018 blockchain and copyright panel with Ruslan Nurullaev (International Laboratory for Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law, Higher School of Economics), Primavera De Filippi (CNRS), Susana Nascimento (Joint Research Centre, European Commission), Guido Noto La Diega (Northumbria University), and Alexander Savelyev (Higher School of Economics) is online.
Watch video
My slides are here:
Read file
Market Structure in Bitcoin Mining by June Ma, Joshua S. Gans, Rabee Tourky :: SSRN
Abstract
We analyze the Bitcoin protocol for electronic peer-to-peer payments and the operations that support the “blockchain” that underpins it. It is shown that the protocol maps formally into a dynamic game that is an extension of standard models of R&D racing. The model provides a technical foundation for any economic analysis of ‘proof-of-work’ protocols. Using the model, we demonstrate that free entry is solely responsible for determining resource usage by the system for a given reward to mining. The endogenous level of computational difficulty built into the Bitcoin protocol does not mitigate this usage and serves only to determine the time taken to process transactions. Regulating market structure will mitigate resource use highlighting the importance of identifying the benefits of competition for the operation of the blockchain.
Keywords: bitcoin, blockchain, racing, mining, competition, free entry
Source: Market Structure in Bitcoin Mining by June Ma, Joshua S. Gans, Rabee Tourky :: SSRN
Governance in Blockchain Technologies & Social Contract Theories | Reijers | Ledger
Governance in Blockchain Technologies & Social Contract Theories
Abstract
This paper is placed in the context of a growing number of social and political critiques of blockchain technologies. We focus on the supposed potential of blockchain technologies to transform political institutions that are central to contemporary human societies, such as money, property rights regimes, and systems of democratic governance. Our aim is to examine the way blockchain technologies canbring about – and justify – new models of governance. To do so, we draw on the philosophical works of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Rawls, analyzing blockchain governance in terms of contrasting social contract theories. We begin by comparing the justifications of blockchain governance offered by members of the blockchain developers’ community with the justifications of governance presented within social contract theories. We then examine the extent to which the model of governance offered by blockchain technologies reflects key governance themes and assumptions located within social contract theories, focusing on the notions of sovereignty, the initial situation, decentralization and distributive justice.
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Source: Governance in Blockchain Technologies & Social Contract Theories | Reijers | Ledger
THE BIG ICO SWINDLE – Wired
ICO mania will no doubt run its course, as all such financial manias do. But in the meantime, people will be hurt and there will be a painful correction. The one upside is this: As in the wake of the dot-com implosion, serious developers and investors will continue to work to build what will be a more robust network and foundation for the future of the blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
https://www.wired.com/story/ico-cryptocurrency-irresponsibility/
India vows to eliminate use of cryptocurrencies
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India will move to stamp out use of cryptocurrencies, which it considers illegal, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday, launching a no-holds-barred attack on virtual currencies such as Bitcoin.