# Forum 2: 31st August 2023

## Opening session: What is a DAO?

See Governance Guild slides [here ](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1wYLZ7yVz6CyowUWWIsIyfNizwlE1eIYdHWQgIjk-zyU/edit?usp=sharing), which give our attempt to define a DAO.

### DISCUSSION SUMMARY:

* The definition of a DAO <mark style="color:red;">**isn’t clear-cut**</mark>.
* Organisations sometimes say they are decentralised when they’re not, often because they are <mark style="color:red;">**plutocratic**</mark>.
* Perhaps “autonomous” is about how well the DAO can function <mark style="color:red;">**without the core leadership stockpiling all the power?**</mark>
* Look at the telos of DAOs - what is a DAO for? It’s about <mark style="color:red;">**capture-resistance.**</mark> A DAO tries to prevent people from capturing the organisation for their own purposes.
* It’s not about “top-down” OR “bottom-up” - it’s more about a <mark style="color:red;">**flattening of the entire hierarchy**</mark><mark style="color:red;">.</mark>

### PARTICIPATE:

Add your own definition, or join the discussion,[ in this doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ress0awhiMD0yHkfQDl498XjDKDYc_EawRPPJDJCTIc/edit?usp=sharing).

***

## Breakout room 1: [Photrek](https://www.photrek.io/home), *Cardano Governance: From Open Corporation to Digital Nation*

### DISCUSSION SUMMARY:

1. See presentation (link coming soon)
2. DAOs shouldn’t limit themselves to one system - we have tools to do corporate, democratic, AND pluralistic. <mark style="color:red;">**Different systems for different needs**</mark>.
3. Maybe 1-coin-1-vote is fine to approve treasury txs - but there are <mark style="color:red;">**a lot of other processes in decisionmaking**</mark> and governance actions that don’t require this restriction.
4. If wealth is used to influence decisions, it should be done <mark style="color:red;">**at a fair price**</mark>.
5. Influence (the power that you have within the community) <mark style="color:red;">**is not the same as**</mark> the number of votes you have.
6. How can we get the wider population to adopt this approach? Perhaps by <mark style="color:red;">**starting small**</mark>, with groups using these approaches in their own teams.

### READ THE DETAIL [HERE](https://catalyst-swarm.gitbook.io/governance-guild/grassroots-governance-community-forums/forum-2-31st-august-2023/breakout-room-1-from-open-corporation-to-digital-nation)

***

## Breakout room 2: [Wada](https://www.wada.org/), *dReps: A critique of representation based on traditional African paradigms*

### DISCUSSION SUMMARY:

1. See slides [here](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1S_ER-9c2dmyMnTXVKbpkNjmPmbWj4cjA/edit?usp=sharing\&ouid=115265583715972418794\&rtpof=true\&sd=true). (Note: slides are by Felicien Foto Manfo and Mermoz Dzubhang, and are made available under a Creative Commons licence CC BY:NC:ND)
2. <mark style="color:red;">**African tradition uses complex, fractal systems**</mark> (a top-level grouping has a structure which is echoed by the smaller groupings that sit underneath it.)
3. Decision-makers / representatives can’t be people who know nothing about the issue being decided. Instead, <mark style="color:red;">**representation is dynamic**</mark> - decisions are made either based on knowledge (those closer to the criticality of an issue make the decision) or on interest (those who care about the issue decide it).
4. <mark style="color:red;">**Your identity and culture are important**</mark>. You can’t represent a group you don’t belong to; and to be someone’s representative, they have to know who you are. But possibly, a group rather than an individual could be a representative, to avoid individuals being personally exposed.
5. For decision-making in Cardano, we need to develop a culture of Cardano; but there can be <mark style="color:red;">**subcultures**</mark> within this - the fractal structure again. Strong subcultures know who they are and what they need, and can make consensus decisions more easily.
6. To determine who is knowledgeable,<mark style="color:red;">**the time someone has committed to learning**</mark> about an issue is important.
7. <mark style="color:red;">**If Africa had continued its traditional decision-making and representation systems**</mark>, and had not adopted Western norms, things would be better.

### READ THE DETAIL [HE](https://catalyst-swarm.gitbook.io/governance-guild/grassroots-governance-community-forums/forum-2-31st-august-2023/breakout-room-2-dreps-a-critique-of-representation-based-on-traditional-african-paradigms)

***

## Breakout room 3: [singularityNET](https://singularitynet.io/), Governance Challenges and Collaborative Solutions

### DISCUSSION SUMMARY:

1. Decentralising isn’t easy! One person can’t manage it alone; multiple stakeholders makes it complex; <mark style="color:red;">**people find it hard to give up their power**</mark>.
2. It’s not just about tooling - the <mark style="color:red;">**human and cultural factors**</mark> are critical
3. When trying to decentralise, <mark style="color:red;">**“ask the community!”**</mark> is a recurring theme
4. There is a <mark style="color:red;">**trade-off**</mark> between the efficiency of centralised decision-making, and the ideal of engaging the community by using decentralised approaches
5. More learning is needed, always, on how to enable frictionless and accountable decision-making - including <mark style="color:red;">**learning from how people have attempted it in the past**</mark>.

### READ THE DETAIL [HERE](https://catalyst-swarm.gitbook.io/governance-guild/grassroots-governance-community-forums/forum-2-31st-august-2023/breakout-room-3-governance-challenges-and-collaborative-solutions)

***

## Plenary session

### DISCUSSION SUMMARY:

1. <mark style="color:red;">**Small groups / subcultures / fractals**</mark> - similar but not identical ideas
2. <mark style="color:red;">**Is it about everyone aligning**</mark> with a core group’s ideas?
3. <mark style="color:red;">**Or do the ideas stem from a group’s culture**</mark>, identity and experiences, their identity, who they are?
4. What is the <mark style="color:red;">**distinction between "the group" and "the wider community"?**</mark> Should there be a division?
5. Can friction and dissent be <mark style="color:red;">**positive?**</mark>

### READ THE DETAIL [HERE](https://catalyst-swarm.gitbook.io/governance-guild/grassroots-governance-community-forums/forum-2-31st-august-2023/plenary-session)

***


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