The research team currently comprises three Ph.D. students and two postdoctoral researchers, along with two part-time communication managers in charge of external communications and dissemination. Thus far, the research team has been mainly focused on collecting and analyzing data concerning the governance of existing blockchain communities (research pillars 1 & 2) while engaging with the pilot community through Participatory Action Research (pillar 4). The team has recently started the design and modeling work (pillar 3) in collaboration with the pilot communities to develop guidelines and best practices for distributed and participatory governance systems. The work done so far has been articulated into a series of reports and publications that synthesize the insights produced during this period.
In terms of publications, the project has already produced twenty scientific articles (twelve of which have already been published in scientific journals), ten book chapters, or short essays (four of which have already been published). The team has coordinated five special issues (three of which have already been published) and four substantial reports synthesizing the insights from the research project. In addition, the project has also secured two book contracts with MIT University Press, one of which is well underway and scheduled for publication in fall 2024.
In terms of academic activities, the project has organized five international conferences or workshops with leading institutions (Harvard/Kennedy School, EUI/Robert Schuman Center, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society in Melbourne, CNRS/CERSA, Collège des Bernardins) and participated—through its team members—in more than a hundred conferences and workshops around the world.
Regarding professional achievements, the project has assembled a world-leading advisory board of multidisciplinary academic and industry experts to help promote best practices in blockchain governance, both academically and publicly. The project established institutional partnerships, notably, with the Project Liberty Institute, headquartered at Sciences Po, to further examine the governance practices of existing blockchain networks. The project also demonstrated academic prestige, with one postdoctoral researcher appointed to a long-term research position at the University of Vienna, and the PI being appointed as part-time Professor at Sciences Po in Paris.
