Blockchain Governance: What We Can Learn From the Economics of Corporate Governance

Allen, D. W. E. and Berg, C. (2020) ‘Blockchain Governance: What We Can Learn from the Economics of Corporate Governance?’, The Journal of the British Blockchain Association 3 (1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.31585/jbba-3-1-(8)2020

14 Pages Posted: 7 Feb 2020 Last revised: 5 Dec 2023

See all articles by Darcy W E Allen

Darcy W E Allen

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University)

Chris Berg

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University)

Date Written: January 15, 2020

Abstract

Understanding the complexities of blockchain governance is urgent. The aim of this paper is to draw on other theories of governance to provide insight into the design of blockchain governance mechanisms. We define blockchain governance as the processes by which stakeholders (those who are affected by and can affect the network) exercise bargaining power over the network. Major considerations include the definition of stakeholders, how the consensus mechanism distributes endogenous bargaining power between those stakeholders, the interaction of exogenous governance mechanisms and institutional frameworks, and the needs for bootstrapping networks. We propose that on-chain governance models can only be partial because of the existence of implicit contracts that embed expectations of return among diverse stakeholders.

Keywords: Blockchain Governance, Institutional Cryptoeconomics, Economics of Blockchain, Corporate Governance

Suggested Citation

Allen, Darcy W E and Berg, Chris, Blockchain Governance: What We Can Learn From the Economics of Corporate Governance (January 15, 2020). Allen, D. W. E. and Berg, C. (2020) ‘Blockchain Governance: What We Can Learn from the Economics of Corporate Governance?’, The Journal of the British Blockchain Association 3 (1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.31585/jbba-3-1-(8)2020, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3519564 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3519564

Darcy W E Allen (Contact Author)

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University) ( email )

Melbourne, 3000
Australia

Chris Berg

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technolog (RMIT University) ( email )

124 La Trobe Street
Melbourne, 3000
Australia

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