Cooperation through Code: The social outcomes of distributed ledger technologies

A new generation of technologies, originating from the margins of internet culture, are being applied to the regulatory and administrative processes that underpin social coordination. Distributed ledger technology (DLT), also known as blockchain, can supplement or substitute the very processes upon which we organise societies and economies, including record-keeping and contracts.

This project, ongoing until May 2025, is investigating how institutional actors and firms are developing and using DLT for the purposes of regulation, compliance and registries, and the consequences for civil society. The research aims to provide empirical evidence of the outcomes of governance administered through decentralised platforms. In particular, it will seek to understand how DLTs enable or constrain civil society endeavours.

The project is funded under the Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowship scheme (FT190100372).

Researchers

Lab