Decentralizing democracy: approaches to consensus within blockchain communities

  • Christopher Tozzi Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/tekn.64523
Keywords: bitcoin, democracy, governance, Proof-of-Work

Abstract

Creating fair, transparent and genuinely democratic modes of decentralized decision-making has been a key concern for many developers and users of blockchains. This article evaluates several popular methods of maintaining consensus and achieving decentralized decision-making on blockchain networks in order to assess the extent to which blockchains challenge the norms of the liberal-democratic order. In particular, it compares and contrasts Proof-of-Work, Proof-of-Stake and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance consensus mechanisms, assessing not just how they operate in a technical sense but also (and most important) the political, economic and social dimensions of these different blockchain governance strategies. This comparison highlights efforts by blockchain communities to redefine or push the bounds of democracy, as well as the challenges they have faced in their efforts to create digital democracies that do not reproduce the same economic and social inequalities present in traditional democratic systems.

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Author Biography

Christopher Tozzi, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Christopher Tozzi is passionate about studying the historical, political and social dimensions of technology. His most recent book, For Fun and Profit: A History of the Free and Open Source Software Revolution (MIT Press, 2017), examines the origins and evolution of software whose source code is freely shared, as well as the cultural and political stakes of such software.  He has also written extensively about such technological trends as the “DevOps” approach to software development and the widespread adoption of on-demand computing infrastructure.

Dr. Tozzi’s academic interests also include the military and cultural history of revolutionary France.  His first book, Nationalizing France’s Army: Foreign, Black, and Jewish Troops in the French Military, 1715-1831 (University of Virginia Press, 2016), investigates the emergence of modern conceptualizations of nationality and citizenship in France from the perspective of men who bore arms in defense of France, yet were not considered fully French due to their race, religion or countries of origin.

In his current research project, Dr. Tozzi seeks to understand how ideological agendas and worldviews inform interest in blockchain technology, and to assess the extent to which an interest in libertarian politics and anti-authoritarianism have shaped enthusiasm for the blockchain.

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Published
2019-10-09
Opr
How to Cite
Tozzi C. (2019). Decentralizing democracy: approaches to consensus within blockchain communities. Teknokultura. Journal of Digital Culture and Social Movements, 16(2), 181-195. https://doi.org/10.5209/tekn.64523
Issue
Vol. 16 No. 2 (2019): Ethics of Emerging Technologies
Section
Karpeta

License

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