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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Izdano: |
2026
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| Teme: | |
| Online dostop: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.00708 |
| Oznake: |
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| _version_ | 1866915825589420032 |
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| author | Lloyd, Thomas Broin, Daire Ó Harrigan, Martin |
| author_facet | Lloyd, Thomas Broin, Daire Ó Harrigan, Martin |
| contents | Voting is the primary mechanism through which Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAO) reach decisions. Although transparent, the voting process can be complex: it can involve many interacting smart contracts. The nexus of the decision-making process can be relocated and the true voter demographic obfuscated. Furthermore, DAOs can govern other DAOs -- metagovernance. We present a method for identifying DAO-to-DAO metagovernance on the Ethereum blockchain. We focus on the links between DAOs and token contracts. We employ a signature-matching algorithm to flexibly handle a variety of DAO frameworks and voting schemes. Once we establish token-to-DAO relationships, we gather and process voting data to produce a list of metagovernance relationships. We apply this algorithm to an initial set of sixteen DAOs and we extend the dataset as more DAOs are identified. We produce a metagovernance network with 61 DAOs and 72 metagovernance relationships. We examine three case studies that show metagovernance of various forms: strategic, decisive, and centralised where a DAO becomes a nexus for metagovernance. We demonstrate that metagovernance obscures voting context and introduces entities driven by self-interest that can significantly influence governance. We highlight instances of metagovernance between DAOs operating on the Ethereum blockchain where current governance tools inadequately reveal such dynamics. To preserve the transparency-centric ethos of DAOs and mitigate risks associated with metagovernance, there is a pressing need for enhanced tools to address such issues. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_00708 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The On-Chain and Off-Chain Mechanisms of DAO-to-DAO Voting Lloyd, Thomas Broin, Daire Ó Harrigan, Martin Cryptography and Security Computers and Society Voting is the primary mechanism through which Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAO) reach decisions. Although transparent, the voting process can be complex: it can involve many interacting smart contracts. The nexus of the decision-making process can be relocated and the true voter demographic obfuscated. Furthermore, DAOs can govern other DAOs -- metagovernance. We present a method for identifying DAO-to-DAO metagovernance on the Ethereum blockchain. We focus on the links between DAOs and token contracts. We employ a signature-matching algorithm to flexibly handle a variety of DAO frameworks and voting schemes. Once we establish token-to-DAO relationships, we gather and process voting data to produce a list of metagovernance relationships. We apply this algorithm to an initial set of sixteen DAOs and we extend the dataset as more DAOs are identified. We produce a metagovernance network with 61 DAOs and 72 metagovernance relationships. We examine three case studies that show metagovernance of various forms: strategic, decisive, and centralised where a DAO becomes a nexus for metagovernance. We demonstrate that metagovernance obscures voting context and introduces entities driven by self-interest that can significantly influence governance. We highlight instances of metagovernance between DAOs operating on the Ethereum blockchain where current governance tools inadequately reveal such dynamics. To preserve the transparency-centric ethos of DAOs and mitigate risks associated with metagovernance, there is a pressing need for enhanced tools to address such issues. |
| title | The On-Chain and Off-Chain Mechanisms of DAO-to-DAO Voting |
| topic | Cryptography and Security Computers and Society |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.00708 |