DAO Harvard
DAO Harvard is a conference organized by the Metagovernance Project, in collaboration with the Belfer Center, Harvard Ethics, DAOResearchCo, and BlockchainGov. It will take place from April 2nd to 4th, 2023. The conference aims to explore the various implications of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) in society. Researchers working in the DAO space are encouraged to apply.
The conference will be divided into three main focus areas. On the first day, experts from multiple institutions will discuss ongoing academic research efforts related to decentralized social technology. They will have the opportunity to present recent research findings and discuss priorities for future research.
The second day will focus on the intersection of DAOs with the legal system. Lawyers, scholars, and practitioners will identify current pain points when DAOs interact with legal frameworks and explore how legal frameworks can evolve to meet their needs. Topics will include how different jurisdictions handle incorporation, liability, taxation, and more.
On the third day, leaders from policy, business, and academia will discuss the role of organizations such as cooperatives, open-source communities, and DAOs in providing antidotes to the harms caused by Big Tech. They will also explore the hurdles these organizations face and how innovative structures like DAOs can enhance outcomes in the United States.
One of the sessions on April 4th, titled Fair Ownership and Governance, will focus on exploring alternatives to Big Tech platforms. It will bring together policymakers, scholars, and industry leaders to discuss platform cooperatives, DAOs, and other open-source community experiences. Participants will examine the current state of case studies in the industry and potential strategies to counter the harms caused by Big Tech.
During the conference, several books will be assigned for discussion. These include EXIT TO COMMUNITY: STRATEGIES FOR MULTI-STAKEHOLDER OWNERSHIP IN THE PLATFORM ECONOM, Enabling Community-Owned Platforms: A Proposal for a Tech New Deal, Fostering Worker Cooperatives with Blockchain Technology: Lessons from the Colony Project, Decentralized Autonomous Organization Toolkit, and When Ostrom Meets Blockchain: Exploring the Potentials of Blockchain for Commons Governance. These books cover a range of topics related to ownership, governance, and the potential of blockchain technology.
While some important topics like Quadratic land, Radical Market, and The Web3 Decentralization Debate Is Focused on the Wrong Question | WIRED are not explicitly mentioned, there may still be opportunities for critical discussions during the conference.