Governance Futures

In this episode of Governance Futures, hosts Jamilya and Eugene speak with Puja Ohlhaver about her latest paper on community currencies and the PCARE model. She explains how her work builds on earlier frameworks, critiques one-token-one-vote models, and offers new approaches for balancing money, votes, attention, and influence. Puja Ohlhaver is a lawyer, technologist, and innovator focused on renovating democracy to resist author...

In this episode of Governance Futures, hosts Jamilya and Eugene sit down with Mateusz Rzeszowski and Raam Chandrasekharan of the Arbitrum Foundation to discuss Arbitrum’s evolving governance model. They trace the DAO’s journey from its “big bang” launch to today’s more structured system, highlighting initiatives like the new Operations Company and Arbitrum-aligned entities designed to improve accountability while keeping token-hold...

In this episode, we sit down with Vaughn McKenzie-Landell to explore how market-driven decision-making can transform DAO governance. Vaughn is CEO & co-founder of Butter, who are bringing Information Finance to Ethereum — starting with Futarchy. He started his career at Dow Jones but exited TradFi after a google search in 2009 delivered him into the BitcoinTalk forum. Together, we break down Butter’s evolution from simple del...

In this episode, we sit down with Spencer Graham and Nicholas Naraghi, cofounders of Hats Protocol, to explore what it really takes to make DAO governance work. Spencer Graham is a cofounder of Hats Protocol and has been working for five years on making DAOs actually effective. Nicholas Naraghi is a cofounder of Hats Protocol, DAO true believer since 2017, BTC since 2011. Together, they break down the unique strengths of decent...

In this episode of Governance Futures, Eugene and Jamilya speak with Anthony Leutenegger, CEO of Aragon, about tooling, regulation and DAO governance today. We dig into why ownership and control matter more than vague notions of decentralization, and how design choices like Aragon OSx are reshaping the way DAOs govern themselves. We also explore lessons from experiments like Lido’s dual governance, the impact of emerging regula...

In this episode, hosts Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal sit down with Rafael Fernández and Shelby Steidl from ZK Sync to unpack one of the most forward-thinking governance frameworks in Web3 today. Rafa is a Director and Governance Lead at the ZKsync Association, where he supports protocol governance design, token mechanics, and operations. His work spans the entire governance system design, from contracts, to legal architec...

In this episode of Governance Futures, Eugene and Jamilya speak with Dennison Bertram, co-founder and CEO of Tally, about the evolving role of regulation, DAOs, and decentralization. We dig into the implications of the Clarity Act, why tooling isn't the only thing DAOs need, and how state alignment is becoming essential to scale Web3 governance. This is a thoughtful, provocative conversation for anyone building or thinking crit...

In this episode, together with James and Dani we dive deep into the revolutionary concept of "liquefaction" and its profound implications for Web3 identity, governance, and ownership. We explore how this groundbreaking research challenges fundamental assumptions about blockchain addresses, private keys, and digital identity, while examining the emergence of Dark DAOs as anonymous voting cartels that could reshape decentralized gove...

In this episode, together with Ellie Rennie we dive deep into the intricacies of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). We explore the dynamics of human coordination versus automated systems, the impact of AI on DAOs, and the critical components that make or break decentralized communities. Ellie Rennie is a Professor at RMIT University. Her research is examining permissionless systems and on-chain communities using ethno...

In this episode of The Governance Futures Podcast, Eugene Leventhal & Jamilya Kamalova speak with Angela Walch about the promises and pitfalls of replacing failing institutions with technologies like crypto and AI. Angela discusses the collapse of rule of law, the myth of “tech as governance,” and the limits of algorithmic solutions to political problems. Together, we explore how protocol systems assign roles that shape our b...

In this special 'About Us' episode of Governance Futures, we — Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal — share a bit about who we are, what brought us into the world of decentralized governance and Web3, and why this space matters to us. We talk about our personal journeys, how we each got involved in this work, and what excites us most about the future of governance. This episode lays the foundation for the podcast — gi...

In this episode of The Governance Futures Podcast, hosts Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal sit down with Eric Alston to explore the evolving dynamics of governance. Eric is a Scholar in Residence in the Finance Division at CU Boulder. His research and teaching draw from institutional analysis, law and economics, and constitutional design. He pursues questions ranging from institutional and organizational theory t...

Welcome to Governance Futures - a podcast where we explore how governance works (and fails) in Web3 and beyond. Hosted by Eugene Leventhal and Jamilya Kamalova, each episode dives deep into the evolving principles of coordination, accountability, and collective decision-making in decentralized ecosystems.

This is the trailer for the forthcoming podcast. Subscribe to get the first episode of our first season, coming weekly every Thu...