| Barriers and Drivers of Blockchain Adoption in Emerging Markets: Large-Scale Text Analytics and Survey Experiences with African Regulators and Citizens |
Eliza R. Oak, Dr. Emmanuel Joel Aikins Abakah& Mohammed Abdullah |
Yale, University of Ghana and UniSZA, Malaysia |
To identify key drivers and barriers to blockchain adoption in Africa, this project proposes to systematically collect data using digital tracking data, surveys, and interviews. By collecting data from social media, news articles, and Google search trends, the project aims to construct a national-level blockchain attitudes index for all African nations, benchmarking it against measures of financial sector stability. The research will focus specifically on Ghana as a case study to collect original data, assessing the perceived benefits and potential risks of blockchain from the perspective of individuals and regulators. |
| Blockchain Censorship – Quantitative Analysis of Censorship on Public Blockchains |
Anton Warstatter, Professor Arthur Gervais, Liyi Zhou, Aviv Yaish, Kaihua Qin, Jens ErnstbergerSebastian Steinhorst, Davor Svetinovic, Nicholas Christin, and Mikolaj Barczentewicz |
Technical University of Munich, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Hebrew University, Imperial College London, University College London, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Surrey |
Investigating the Implications of Blockchain Censorship. The research will formalize, quantify, and analyze the security impact of blockchain censorship, providing a holistic overview of censorship at the consensus layer and application layer, unpacking the quantitative extent of censorship, and studying the confirmation latency of historical transactions on Ethereum. |
| DAO Model Law |
Doctor Primavera De Filippi, Dr Morshed MannanSilke Elrifai, Fatemah Fannizadeh, Constance Choi, Ori Shimony and Rick Dudley |
COALA (Coalition of Automated Legal Applications) |
To improve the legal recognition and protection of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), this project focuses on revising and updating the DAO Model Law v1.0, originally published in 2021. The goal is to reflect technological advances and changes in governance standards over the past two years, as well as to make necessary additions to support the implementation of the DAO Model Law in various global legal frameworks. This effort builds on previous work that has already influenced DAO legal frameworks in jurisdictions such as Utah and New Hampshire in the United States. |
| Ethereum as microcredit for financial inclusion in a developing country: assessment of drivers and barriers |
Dr. Shazim Khalid& Andrei OJ Kwok |
Monash University |
To understand the experiences, challenges, and opportunities of using Ethereum as a microcredit system in developing countries, particularly in Kenya, this research will conduct interviews with key stakeholders. By focusing on users’ perceptions of Ethereum’s reliability and effectiveness, the study aims to inform policymakers, financial institutions, and developers on the practical implications of blockchain-based microcredit systems. This information will facilitate the improvement of the Ethereum ecosystem to better meet the needs of its users, particularly in regions that lack access to traditional financial services. |
| Ethereum Development Revealed: A Communication Blockchain |
Doctor Silvia Bartolucci, Doctor Giuseppi Destefanis, Dr. Roumanya Neykova& Dr. Marco Urtu |
University College London, Brunel University London and University of Cagliari |
To assess the security, risks, and robustness of the Ethereum ecosystem, this research proposes an in-depth analysis of the Ethereum developer community and the software complexity of major open source projects. Drawing on network theory and sentiment analysis, the study aims to (1) understand the dynamics within the Ethereum developer community and software complexity, (2) predict potential internal conflicts and their potential impact on token prices, and (3) develop a user-friendly digital toolkit that provides interactive access and visualization of the collected data. This toolkit, using comprehensive datasets from Github, will improve transparency and understanding of Ethereum open source projects and development practices for practitioners and end users. |
| Ethereum Postdoctoral Researcher (Legal) |
Ruben Youngblom |
MIT DCI |
To bridge the gap between legal and technical understanding in the context of digital currencies, this grant will establish a postdoctoral research position within MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative. This position will host recent law graduates, providing them with technical exposure and guidance from MIT and Stanford Law’s Reuben Youngblom. The goal is to equip new legal professionals with a deeper understanding of the technical nuances of the digital currency landscape, thereby contributing to better regulation and legal practice. |
| The Bifurcation of the Economy: An Ethnography of Cryptocurrencies |
Annaliese Milano |
London School of Economics |
To address the lack of in-depth academic exploration of cryptocurrency community culture, this project seeks to leverage two years of empirical research to produce an ethnographic study of the Ethereum community and its relationship with the Bitcoin community. Anthropologists, with expertise in immersive and long-term community studies, are leading this investigation. The main goals are to improve understanding of the social layer of cryptocurrencies for better protocol development and to correct outsider misconceptions about the goals of these communities. |
| Archaeology of Governance for Decentralized Communities |
Professor Nathan Schneider& Professor Federica Carugati |
University of Colorado Boulder |
To facilitate collective governance and inspire institutional learning in the field of decentralized governance, this project, known as the Archaeology of Governance, aims to establish a comprehensive global resource of historical governance practices, particularly in non-Western contexts. The project will build on an existing prototype database to include a broader range of practices, analyze emerging patterns, and make the resource publicly available and modifiable as an open-source tool. In addition, a workshop will be organized for the Web3 community to optimize its use of this database, thus contributing to more effective and sustainable self-governance strategies. |
| Ethereum’s Legally Credible Neutrality |
Mikolaj Barczentewicz |
Independent |
To preserve Ethereum’s status as a public and permissionless network, this project aims to explore the legal implications and potential liabilities of network participants, such as validators, particularly in contexts where they have discretionary power. The project is motivated by the potential risks that legal liability could pose to Ethereum’s structure and operations. It proposes to conduct in-depth research into how these legal risks can be addressed and to what extent they should inform protocol design and development. |
| Merging Eastern Cultures to Complete the Missing DAO Socialware Puzzle. |
Sujin Keen, twin finand Sunghoon Jin |
DAO-East Movement |
To bridge the gap between technology and community trust in DAOs, this research project, called DAOeast, aims to explore “socialware,” the component that fosters trusting communities through non-contractual, reciprocal relationships. The study will use a diachronic approach to examine socialware through the lens of East Asian “relationship-centered” philosophy, considering the convergence of Western philosophies championing individual freedom and Eastern philosophies emphasizing human connection. |
| Open Source Software Development and Community Dynamics: Historical Insights and Implications for Ethereum |
Doctor Mariia Petryk & Doctor Jiasun Li |
Independent |
To better understand the Ethereum open source ecosystem, this project aims to apply data-driven analysis techniques, building on the team’s established expertise in open source software research. The goal is to formally test various hypotheses, drawing on studies of the evolution of other open source software. The project aspires to uncover patterns relevant to Ethereum and, in doing so, aims to provide guidance that could guide the long-term development of the Ethereum ecosystem. |
| The Social Layer: An Ethnography of Ethereum Development |
Ann Brody & Dr Paul Dylan-Ennis |
Independent |
To understand the dynamics within the Ethereum development community, this project plans to conduct an ethnographic study focusing on Ethereum client developers involved in the Shanghai hard fork. The research, using interviews, will explore developers’ perspectives and how they manage community expectations and pressures. The goal is to better understand how core Ethereum developers build trust with the broader community and manage “transparency” throughout the Shanghai hard fork development process. |
