Studies of blockchain governance can be divided into analyses of the governance of blockchains (such as rules and power dynamics within a given network) and governance by blockchains (such as how blockchains can be implemented to improve self-governance of community-based peer production...

Due to inherent difficulties in fully specifying contracting terms via formal agreements, societal services that are open-ended in nature, such as long-term innovation and training initiatives, may be underprovided in traditional market economies. We provide a case study of the US Amateur Radio...

Permission-less (or public) block-chain networks are a new form of decentralized private governance in the digital sphere. Though legal scholars recognize the significance of law in the use of block-chain, existing research using legal and institutional perspectives leaves block-chain governance...

As blockchain applications become more pervasive and visible, it becomes increasingly important to consider their non-technical as well as their technical aspects. This paper provides a brief tutorial-style introduction to institutional economics, which is one of the important frameworks for...

The structure and operation of blockchains are dynamic, which means that mechanisms must exist for implementing changes. The New Institutional Economics (NIE), with its emphasis on how rules govern the performance of any complex organization or network, provides an especially useful framework to...

“Knowledge commons” describes the institutionalized community governance of the sharing and, in some cases, creation, of information, science, knowledge, data, and other types of intellectual and cultural resources. It is the subject of enormous recent interest and enthusiasm with respect to...

The boom in shale gas production has been accompanied by concerns that polycentricity, whereby multiple levels of government share regulatory authority, has resulted in an inefficient and ineffective governance. The Bloomington School of institutional analysis suggests otherwise. Drawing on the...