[ARC] Framework For Recognized Delegates

Title: [ARC] Framework For Recognized Delegates

Author: @fig - Flipside Crypto

Date: 05-04-2023

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Summary:

This proposal establishes a baseline set of guidelines and expectations for becoming a Recognized Delegate within Aave.

It aims to define the role, responsibilities, and characteristics of Aave’s recognized delegates to aid the DAO in addressing and sustainably growing this stakeholder base.

It is left intentionally sparse in some parts to provide a rich and diverse array of delegates from which AAVE [or equivalent] holders may select their chosen representative(s.)

Abstract:

This proposal responds to the community's desire to outline what a recognized delegate looks like, to qualify for potential reimbursement in the current Gas Fee Rebate proposal.

It creates a framework for becoming or ending one’s role as a recognized delegate.

In addition, it delineates the distinction between a delegate and a recognized delegate.

Motivation:

As Aave attracts more stakeholders, contributors, and delegates, it requires more active management and a clearer organization of the delegate base.

A typical interaction with Governance (roughly) looks something like this:

This graphic illustrates a current dynamic within the DAO; delegates working on behalf of token holders, engaging with Governance or contributors themselves to vote and propose on-chain.

The more voting power a delegate has (i.e. ACI, Penn Blockchain, LBS,) the larger their responsibility has become, incurring voting costs, deployment costs, and opportunity costs.

This proposal hopes to create a definition of value-additive, recognized delegates to better organize delegates and proposals such as the Gas Fee Rebate. Furthermore, it is crucial to define fundamental roles and responsibilities to align expectations between the Aave community, AAVE holders, service providers, and other delegates.

It is important to better define this role to encourage, educate, and guide prospective delegates, and re-affirm the ongoing work of others.

Specification:

To be considered a recognized delegate, a prospective delegate must follow these key steps:

1. Inform the community of their intention to become a delegate

2. Post a Delegate Platform on the Aave Governance forum - similar to those from Wintermute or FranklinDAO, under the “Delegate Platform” category

• The Delegate Platform is a chance for delegates to lay out what they stand for; it is the lens through which AAVE holders and other stakeholders will see Recognized Delegates and their actions.
• As delegates grow and change, it is encouraged to update this platform so it reflects the progress and current goals of delegate

3. Read and acknowledge the Delegate Code of Conduct

• The canonical Code of Conduct is defined here.
• Acknowledgment is left at the discretion of the delegate - some options include: Signing a message on-chain Confirming that they have read and agreed to it within their Recognized Delegate platform post Another creative option such as uploading to IPFS or Swarm :)

4. Demonstrate a history of voting on more than five on-chain votes

5. Maintain on-chain voting participation rate above 80%

6. Report voting rationales via a medium of choice; this could be Aave’s Governance Forum, Medium, Notion, or a personal blog

Roles & Responsibilities

The role of a Recognized Delegate can be expressed in three parts:

1. Participation in forum discussions
2. Expression of opinion in on & off-chain Governance processes by casting regular votes
3. Communication of their voting decisions and the rationale behind them

It is essential to the Governance process in Aave that Recognized Delegates vote, particularly regarding on-chain AIPs, as these execute the technical changes required for the operation and security of Aave.

By expecting Recognized Delegates to communicate their votes, we may ensure that there is sufficient transparency to allow delegators to evaluate whether their chosen Recognized Delegate is acting in their – and Aave's best interests.

This responsibility provides valuable feedback to proposal authors; if a proposal is unsuccessful, this feedback may allow for a refined proposal to pass the Governance process.

Beyond this, Recognized Delegates may take on additional roles and responsibilities as they see fit. Examples might include:

• Authoring Governance proposals
• Evaluating proposals in the TEMP CHECK or ARFC stage on the Aave forum
• Participating in calls and discussions centered on issues related to Aave

The community may decide to author future proposals that require a Recognized Delegate to take on additional roles and responsibilities - but these key responsibilities should remain intact.

Recognized Delegate Resignation [End of Term]

If a Recognized Delegate wishes to step down from their role, they should take steps to ensure that their delegators and the Aave community are informed.

At a minimum, this should include a post in their Delegate Platform thread. We recommend that a team may notify the DAO as early as possible to ensure voting power is transitioned.

Next Steps

Next steps to ensure a successful framework of recognized delegates:

1. Gather feedback and input from the Aave community on the proposed requirements
2. Incorporate and refine the proposal based on feedback from the community
3. Upgrade and communicate the new requirements to current and new delegates

Copyright

Copyright and related rights waived via CC0.