KIP-77 Research Initiative on Decentralized Digital and Blockchain-Based Nations and the Role of Kleros’ Suite of Products

Proposal
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Summary

This proposal calls for Kleros to initiate and publish a research report on how Kleros’ suite of products can support newly created and emerging decentralized digital and blockchain-based nations. The research will map out use cases, identify partnership opportunities, and help position Kleros as a key infrastructure layer in the formation of decentralised digital and blockchain-based nations.

Motivation

With advances in the internet and blockchain technologies, we are witnessing the rise of digital and blockchain-based nations, often referred to as Digital Micronations, Network States, or Decentralized Autonomous Nations (DANs).

However, a vast majority of these initiatives face several challenges in various areas, including identity and citizenship, justice and dispute resolution, and governance.

Kleros is not only uniquely positioned but critically essential to solving these challenges. By offering products like Kleros Court, Proof of Humanity, Curated Lists, Escrow, Governor, and others, Kleros can become a cornerstone of decentralized nation-building infrastructure.

Goals

This research aims to deliver actionable insights and strategic positioning for Kleros:

  • Landscape Analysis: Conduct a landscape analysis of digital and blockchain-based nations. Identify their core tenets, governance models, pain points, and challenges.
  • Kleros Solution Mapping: Map Kleros’ product suite to the challenges and detail how each Kleros product can address the identified challenges.
  • Partnership, Pilot Opportunity, and Recommendations: Identify partnership opportunities, potential pilot collaborations, and provide recommendations.

Benefits

This report offers substantial benefits to the Kleros ecosystem and mission:

  • Enhanced thought leadership: Establish Kleros as a leading authority and essential infrastructure provider in the nascent but rapidly growing field of decentralised nation-building.
  • Potential for partnerships: Provides a clear roadmap for making strategic alliances and partnerships with innovative decentralized digital nations projects.
  • PNK utility and adoption growth: Drives increased demand, utility, and adoption for PNK token and will contribute to the long-term value of PNK.
  • Mission Alignment: Directly contributes to Kleros’ mission of fostering individual freedom and justice by building foundational infrastructure for decentralized communities.

Risks:

  • Low initial ROI.

Mitigation: The primary value of this report is long-term strategic value and market positioning, not immediate revenue. The cost of the report is an investment in future growth, returns, innovation, and brand leadership.

  • Perceived hostility with traditional nations.

Mitigation: The report will maintain a neutral, research-oriented tone, focusing on technological solutions and innovation rather than political advocacy.

  • Limited Immediate Adoption of Digital Nations.

Mitigation: Digital nations are emerging, and the widespread adoption is long-term. The report aims to position Kleros as a prepared and forward-thinking decentralized solution.

Why This Matters

Kleros stands for accessibility, fairness, and transparent justice in the digital realm. Kleros’ mission is to enable individual freedom and justice using open-source software and research. If digital nations are to succeed, they must have a reliable, decentralised infrastructure for basic services like identity, justice, governance, asset lists and others.

Kleros has developed and offers these critical solutions. The research will demonstrate Kleros’ crucial role by defining its position as the foundational pillar for decentralized blockchain-based nations and enabling a new era of digital world-building.

Proposed Deliverables:

  • Comprehensive research report (30-50 pages)
  • 2-3 detailed pilot project recommendations.
  • Recorded panel discussion or X space. (Optional)
1 Like
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First and foremost, I believe that education forms the cornerstone of society. The easier it becomes to explain emerging technologies, the more widely accessible and beneficial they are for everyone.

In that regard, I understand that Kleros as an alternative justice mechanism needs to be recognized as a viable option for those seeking to resolve disputes outside traditional courts or even conventional arbitration systems. I find your proposal promising, as it could, if implemented, support scholars in the field by enriching the existing literature and making it easier to advocate for the advantages of blockchain-based conflict resolution.

That said, I do have several questions and concerns that could fortify the proposal:

  1. Who will conduct the study? Will a dedicated team be formed?
  2. What qualifications or capabilities will this team have?
  3. Will the study be funded or conducted on a voluntary basis?
  4. Will the research be subject to peer review, or will it be self-published?
  5. What review methodology will be followed?
  6. Will the study be approached from an economic, legal, or interdisciplinary perspective?

As a lawyer, academic, and a professional deeply passionate about Blockchain and LegalTech, I would be happy to contribute to or participate in the research team should the project proceed. You have my full support in bringing it to fruition.

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Thank you @joanbisonom for your insightful feedback and generous offer to contribute! Your point about education forming the cornerstone of society truly resonates with the core motivation behind KIP-77.

Regarding your questions, here’s how I envision addressing them, keeping in mind that these are initial thoughts and the exact execution will be refined if the proposal moves forward:

My preference is for a dedicated team built and headed by the Kleros team. This would likely involve a combination of internal Kleros expertise, external researchers, and community members who want to volunteer in this research.

The team would ideally comprise individuals with backgrounds in: Legal Studies, Blockchain & Decentralized Systems, Cryptoeconomics, Social & Political Sciences, Research & Analysis.

I envision the study will be conducted by a hybrid team of Kleros’ internal members and external contributors on voluntary basis.

However, I invite the Kleros team and DAO members to share their thoughts on whether a budget could be introduced to compensate contributors, especially if the research develops into a more resource-intensive effort.

The research will be self-published by Kleros. However, it will follow an open and transparent process that invites feedback from the community and relevant experts.

An open review methodology will be used. Drafts will be shared publicly. Feedback from Kleros community members, researchers, and domain experts will be actively encouraged to ensure transparency, and alignment with decentralized research values.

The study will take an interdisciplinary approach, combining economic, legal, and governance perspectives. It will explore how Kleros’ dispute resolution, identity and other solutions can serve the needs of emerging decentralized digital nations. This interdisciplinary approach will allow us to identify comprehensive solutions and opportunities for Kleros.

I’m grateful for your thoughtful feedback and your willingness to contribute. If the proposal moves forward, I’d be glad to coordinate with you and other interested contributors. I believe this could be a meaningful step toward positioning Kleros as a foundational tool for emerging digital nation-states and on-chain governance systems.