IEEE Workshop towards Decentralized Governance Design

With blockchain, we have entered the age of computational trust, in which network orchestration is possible without a trusted third party. Without a trusted third party, a self-organizing ecosystem requires a decentralized design approach. Digital currencies, at first glance, may seem to be a decentralized ecosystem in which peers interact directly with each other. However, the decision making within these so-called decentralized ecosystems is centrally orchestrated and, also, it is not transparent. Fundamental design decisions need to be approached from different angles. Concepts like: a democracy functioning under the rule of law for states, corporate governance for businesses, member participation in associations, can now perhaps also be caught in formal, executable models as smart contracts. This would require a Decentralized Governance Design approach, determining the structure of how decisions are taken, executed and computationally supported within the ecosystem.