Leveraging Blockchain Networks for Decentralized Governance of the Digital Commons

Abstract

Blockchain technology, a distributed ledger system, has revolutionized the potential for decentralizing governance structures. By relying on collectively managed technologies to pool and share information, blockchain networks present an opportunity to govern the digital commons. This policy brief explores the application of blockchain networks to govern shared digital spaces through decentralized and scalable systems. Blockchain networks offer new possibilities regulating the digital commons, aligning with Elinor Ostrom’s principles of participatory decision-making and conflict resolution.