Announcement of 2023 academic grants

Barriers and drivers of blockchain adoption in emerging markets: A large-scale text analysis and survey experiment with African regulators and citizens.Eliza R Oak, AS Emmanuel Joel Aikins Abaca& Muhammad AbdullahYale, University of Ghana, UniSZA, MalaysiaTo identify key drivers and barriers to blockchain adoption across Africa, the project proposes to systematically collate data through digital tracking data, surveys and interviews. The project aims to build a country-level blockchain attitude adoption index for all African countries by collecting data from social media, news articles and Google search trends and compare this to measures of financial sector stability. This study will specifically focus on Ghana as a case study to collect raw data assessing the perceived potential benefits and risks of blockchain from the perspectives of individuals and regulators.Blockchain Censorship – Quantitative Analysis of Public Blockchain CensorshipAnton Worstadter, Professor Arthur Gervais, Zhou Liyi, Aviv Yaish, Kaihua Jin, Jens ErnstbergerSebastian Steinhorst, Davor Svetinovic, Nicolas Christine, & Mikoły BarzentewiczTechnical University of Munich, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Hebrew University, Imperial College London, University College London, Carnegie Mellon University, University of SurreyExamining the implications of blockchain censorship. This study formalizes and quantifies the impact of blockchain censorship on security by providing a holistic overview of censorship on the consensus layer and application layer, analyzing the quantitative scope of censorship, and examining historical transaction confirmation latencies on Ethereum. and analyze.DAO model methodDr. Primavera de Philippi, doctor. moshed metSilke Elifai, Fatema Panizadeh, Constance Choi, Ori Simonyi, Rick DudleyCOALA (Coalition for Automated Legal Applications)To strengthen legal recognition and protection for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), the project focuses on revising and updating the DAO Model Law v1.0, originally released in 2021. The goal is to address technological advancements and changes in past governance norms. Over a two-year period, we will provide the necessary additions to support the implementation of the DAO Model Law in various global legal systems. This effort builds on previous work that has already impacted DAO legal frameworks in jurisdictions such as Utah and New Hampshire in the United States.Ethereum as Microcredit for Financial Inclusion in Developing Countries: Assessing Drivers and Barriersdoctor. Shazim Khalid& Andrei OJ Kwakmonash universityTo understand the experiences, challenges and opportunities of using Ethereum as a microcredit system in developing countries, especially Kenya, this study will conduct interviews with key stakeholders. Focusing on user perceptions of Ethereum’s reliability and efficiency, this study aims to inform policymakers, financial institutions, and developers about the practical implications of blockchain-based microcredit systems. These insights will drive improvements in the Ethereum ecosystem to better meet the needs of users, especially in regions that lack access to traditional financial services.Unpacking Ethereum Development: Blockchain of CommunicationDr. Silvia Bartolucci, doctor. Giuseppe Destefanis, doctor. Neikova, Romania& doctor. melt marcoUniversity College London, Brunel University London, University of CagliariTo assess the security, risk and robustness of the Ethereum ecosystem, this study proposes an in-depth analysis of the software complexity of the Ethereum developer community and major open source projects. Leveraging network theory and sentiment analysis, this study aims to (1) understand the dynamics and software complexity within the Ethereum developer community, (2) predict potential internal conflicts and their potential impact on token prices, and (3) enable users to: We aim to develop a friendly Ethereum platform. A digital toolkit that provides interactive access and visualization of collected data. Leveraging Github’s comprehensive data sets, this toolkit improves transparency and understanding of Ethereum’s open source projects and development practices for both practitioners and end users.Ethereum Postdoc (Legal)Ruben YoungblomWith DCITo bridge the gap between legal and technical understanding in the digital currency context, this grant will establish a postdoctoral research position at MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative. This position invites recent law graduates to provide technical exposure and guidance from Reuben Youngblom of MIT and Stanford Law. The goal is to provide new legal professionals with a deeper understanding of the technical nuances of the digital currency environment and support better regulatory and legal practices.Economic Fork: A Crypto EthnographyAnnalis MilanoLondon School of EconomicsTo 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, long-term community research are leading the investigation. The main goal is to increase understanding of the social layer of cryptocurrencies for better protocol development and to correct outsider misconceptions about the goals of these communities.Governance Archeology for Decentralized CommunitiesProfessor Nathan Schneider& Professor Federica CarugattiUniversity of Colorado BoulderTo promote collective governance and encourage institutional learning in the realm of decentralized governance, the project, known as Governance Archeology, aims to build a comprehensive global resource on historical governance practices, particularly in non-Western contexts. This project will expand the existing prototype database to include a broader range of cases, analyze new patterns, and make the resources publicly accessible and editable with open source tools. Workshops will also be organized to help the Web3 community optimize the use of this database to contribute to more successful and sustainable self-governance strategies.Legally Trustworthy Neutrality of EthereumMikoły BarzentewiczindependentTo protect the status of Ethereum as an open and permissionless network, the project aims to explore the legal implications and potential liability of network participants, such as validators, especially in situations where they have discretion. This project is driven by the potential risk that legal liability could pose to the structure and operation of Ethereum. We suggest conducting 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 puzzle of DAO socialware.sujinkin, twin fins& Seonghun JinDaoist movementTo bridge the gap between technology and community trust in DAOs, this research project, named DAOeast, aims to explore ‘socialware’ – a component that fosters trustworthy communities through reciprocal, non-contractual relationships. . This study examines socialware diachronically through the lens of ‘relationship-centered’ East Asian philosophy, examining the convergence of Western philosophy that advocates individual freedom and Eastern philosophy that emphasizes human connection.Open Source Software Development and Community Dynamics: Historical Insights and Ethereum Implicationsdoctor. Maria Patrick & Dr. Li JiasunindependentTo gain deeper insights into Ethereum’s open source ecosystem, the project aims to apply data-driven analytics techniques, building on the team’s established expertise in open source software research. The plan is to formally test various hypotheses based on research conducted on the evolution of other open source software. This project aims to uncover patterns related to Ethereum and thereby provide guidance that can lead to the long-term development of the Ethereum ecosystem.Social Class: An Ethnography of Ethereum DevelopmentAnne Brody & Dr. Paul Dillon-EnnisindependentTo understand the dynamics within the Ethereum development community, the project plans to conduct ethnographic research focusing on Ethereum client developers who participated in the Shanghai hard fork. Research using interviews will explore developers’ perspectives and how they navigate community expectations and pressures. The goal is to gain insight into how core Ethereum developers build trust with the wider community and manage ‘transparency’ throughout the development process of the Shanghai hard fork.