KIP-77 Research Initiative on Decentralized Digital and Blockchain-Based Nations and the Role of Kleros’ Suite of Products

Note 1: I am submitting this proposal for a vote on behalf of its author, Shadabhind. Please refer to the Forum for additional details

Note 2: This proposal is submitted a second time for voting, as the snapshot strategy was updated to include PNK on Arbitrum but by error it was not taking into account PNK on Mainet. All parameters are now correct. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Summary

This proposal calls for Kleros to initiate and publish a research report on how Kleros’ suite of products can support newly created and emerging decentralized digital and blockchain-based nations. The research will map out use cases, identify partnership opportunities, and help position Kleros as a key infrastructure layer in the formation of decentralized digital and blockchain-based nations.

Motivation

With advances in the internet and blockchain technologies, we're witnessing the rise of digital and blockchain-based nations, often referred to as Digital Micronations, Network States, or Decentralized Autonomous Nations (DANs).

However, a vast majority of these initiatives face several challenges in various areas, including identity and citizenship, justice and dispute resolution, and governance.

Kleros is not only uniquely positioned but critically essential to solving these challenges. By offering products like Kleros Court, Proof of Humanity, Curated Lists, Escrow, Governor, and others, Kleros can become a cornerstone of decentralized nation-building infrastructure.

Goals

This research aims to deliver actionable insights and strategic positioning for Kleros:

• Landscape Analysis: Conduct a landscape analysis of digital and blockchain-based nations. Identify their core tenets, governance models, pain points, and challenges.
• Kleros Solution Mapping: Map Kleros’ product suite to the challenges and detail how each Kleros product can address the identified challenges.
• Partnership, Pilot Opportunity, and Recommendations: Identify partnership opportunities, potential pilot collaborations, and provide recommendations.
• Active Engagement & Feedback: Actively engage with key stakeholders from these projects, explore potential integration opportunities, and gather actionable feedback to inform and improve Kleros’ offerings.

Benefits

This report offers substantial benefits to the Kleros ecosystem and mission:

• Enhanced thought leadership: Establish Kleros as a leading authority and essential infrastructure provider in the nascent but rapidly growing field of decentralized nation-building.
• Potential for partnerships: Provides a clear roadmap for making strategic alliances and partnerships with innovative decentralized digital nations projects.
• PNK utility and adoption growth: Drives increased demand, utility, and adoption for PNK token and will contribute to the long-term value of PNK.
• Mission Alignment: Directly contributes to Kleros’ mission of fostering individual freedom and justice by building foundational infrastructure for decentralized communities.
• Strengthen Kleros's Position: Strengthen Kleros’s position as a thought leader in decentralized governance and justice infrastructure.

Risks:

• Low initial ROI.
  • Mitigation: The primary value of this report is long-term strategic value and market positioning, not immediate revenue. The cost of the report is an investment in future growth, returns, innovation, and brand leadership.
• Perceived hostility with traditional nations.
  • Mitigation: The report will maintain a neutral, research-oriented tone, focusing on technological solutions and innovation rather than political advocacy.
• Limited Immediate Adoption of Digital Nations.
  • Mitigation: Digital nations are emerging, and widespread adoption is long-term. The report aims to position Kleros as a prepared and forward-thinking decentralized solution.

Why This Matters

Kleros stands for accessibility, fairness, and transparent justice in the digital realm. Kleros’ mission is to enable individual freedom and justice using open-source software and research. If digital nations are to succeed, they must have a reliable, decentralized infrastructure for basic services like identity, justice, governance, asset lists, and others.

Kleros has developed and offers these critical solutions. The research will demonstrate Kleros’ crucial role by defining its position as the foundational pillar for decentralized blockchain-based nations and enabling a new era of digital world-building.

Proposed Deliverables:

• Comprehensive research report (30-50 pages)
• 2-3 detailed pilot project recommendations.
• Recorded panel discussion or X space. (Optional)

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Budget Request and Reward Mechanism

This proposal now seeks a budget of 5,000 USD worth of PNK to fund the research and outreach work. This will be a collective research effort, open to anyone from the community who can contribute. Valid contributors will be rewarded equally from this pool of funds upon successful completion and publication of the research report and related deliverables. The distribution mechanism will be transparent and based on demonstrable contributions to the initiative.

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Clarifications and Updates Based on Community Feedback:

This proposal has evolved based on valuable community feedback. Here are the updated details:

Team and Qualifications

This initiative will be a collective research effort, open to anyone from the community who wishes to participate. While the Kleros team may offer guidance, the primary execution will involve a hybrid team of Kleros community members and external contributors. The ideal team would comprise individuals with backgrounds in Legal Studies, Blockchain & Decentralized Systems, Cryptoeconomics, Social & Political Sciences, and Research & Analysis.

Review Process

The research will be self-published by Kleros, but it will follow an open and transparent process. Drafts will be shared publicly, and feedback from the Kleros community members, researchers, and domain experts will be actively encouraged to ensure transparency and alignment with decentralized research values.

Research Approach

The study will take an interdisciplinary approach, combining economic, legal, and governance perspectives. This will allow us to explore how Kleros’ dispute resolution, identity, and other solutions can serve the needs of emerging decentralized digital nations, identifying comprehensive solutions and opportunities for Kleros.

Importance of a DAO Vote

While this proposal now includes a budget request, the broader goal of a DAO vote extends beyond just funding. It's a strategic initiative aimed at mapping real-world challenges faced by blockchain-based sovereign nations or states to Kleros’ suite of products. A DAO vote provides legitimacy and signals community consensus, which is crucial for attracting more volunteers, researchers, and external stakeholders. It also creates the necessary visibility to engage meaningfully with external projects and organizations, ultimately strengthening Kleros’s position as a thought leader in decentralized governance and justice infrastructure.