I’m happy to offer a recap of the Workshop for DRep Recruitment, Training and Ethical Code of Conduct that was offered in Indianapolis, USA on February 17, 2024!
This workshop allowed us a wonderful opportunity to convene a diverse group of Cardano community members to discuss ways to advance the governance structures of the network. The workshop ran from 9 AM - 4:30 PM local time and then we had dinner together where informal conversation continued. Our ultimate goal coming out of the workshops was to promote ways that social and technical systems could be formed that would allow both individuals and groups to easily become DReps and feel that they have an opportunity to impact the network.
We started by going over the proposed DRep Code of Conduct and discussing what DReps need in order to function as governance leaders on the network. DReps aren’t just voting for what they think is right - they are representing people based on their values, social group, or shared identity.
We also discussed the things that DReps will need to collaborate with their groups:
- Communication methods - DReps will need platforms where they can articulate their positions and hear the wishes of their delegators, i.e. survey tools, social media, forums.
- Collaboration metrics - DReps should tell their constituents who they are working with and under what circumstances they might vote with an interest group or alliance.
- Encouraging New DReps - Organizations like Intersect should provide DRep training to help people become effective community representatives and understand the system better.
- Shared source of information - We need institutions like a “Cardano Budget Office” (akin to the US “Congressional Budget Office”) that provides non-biased information on how proposals may affect the network and then DReps can decide if they want that.
- Metadata and communication challenges - Only so much information can go on-chain. We have to develop the right anchors to point to reliable off-chain systems to store information about DReps and communities.
- Credentialing and Verification - We should provide DReps with a voluntary way to display their credentials or showcase their skills
We also discussed the things that will need to be done to prepare the Network for Voltaire Governance in general, with a large number of DReps getting involved:
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Ensure that the community understands the risks of a single individual having too much power and influence within the system.
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Educate the community on how to create a positive environment despite this reality.
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Encourage a culture where individuals are cautious about concentrating power in one person’s hands.
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Develop disaster recovery plans in case of highly improbable scenarios, such as external attacks or malicious actions.
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Consider mechanisms to prevent centralized exchanges and platforms from leveraging user funds for governance voting.
There is a lot more discussion to go but we were excited to have had this opportunity to contribute to the topic of DRep Ethics, a code of conduct, and the wider issues that the Cardano network will face in community governance.
Resource: Link to Miro Board
Participants: Christopher Bays, Kristen Bouwman, Jenny Brito, Matthew Capps, Adam Dean, Aleks Djuricic, Chris Hockaday, Mike Hornan, Claude Légaré, Steve Lockhart, Jose Martinez, Adam Rusch, Justin Schreiner, Thorsteinn Sverrisson, Ryan Wiley, Peter Wolcott
