Observatorio
Latinoamericano de Blockchain
Overview
Observatorio Latinoamericano de Blockchain (OLAB) is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) focused on publishing research that chronicles the proliferation of blockchain in Latin America, in a diversity of contexts and communities, specifically examining the transformative technology of blockchain as a whole, (e.g. economic, social, environmental, political and political structures). Additionally, we explore how Latin America is being effected by DOAs as emergent political structures and the phenomenon of NFTs. OLAB concentrates specifically on examining the ways in which DAOs propose an alternative to traditional power structures with their decentralization and equitable distribution of power; from governmental organizations, to banks, and perhaps most importantly, academia. Our mission, in addition to the dissemination of critical information on the evolution of blockchain in Latin America, is to re-consider traditional means of academic dialogue with an emphasis on the potential for bi-directional learning. We also ask how we might adapt traditional economic, social, and political ecosystems to best serve decentralized governance and policy.
Top level researchers with experience in multilateral organizations, academia, and research make up the core team of OLAB’s seven governors. These governors receive support from contributors ranging from editors, to translators, graduate students, public and urban policy specialists, as well as community stakeholders. Furthermore, OLAB collaborates with other regional DAOs in Latin America including Latam DAO, Black Leaders DAO, Blu3 DAO, and HER DAO, which concentrate on inclusivity of people form all socio-economic backgrounds, as well as gender and racial equality. An essential component of OLAB is to attend conferences across the region. Where, we talk to other blockchain specialists about our research findings, collect more data, and ultimately understand what are the most pressing questions among communities from different nations, educational and socio-economic backgrounds, as well as gender and racial identities in Latin America.
The essential purpose of OLAB DAO is to work exclusively on generating both qualitative and quantitative data on the numerous ways in which blockchain technology is shifting the very fabric of politics, economics, and society in Latin America. We will not only be conducting this research for our own studies, but collaborating with other DAOs and community stakeholders, both within the Harmony ecosystem and those already working in Latin America.To foster as much knowledge sharing as possible, social tokens are going to be airdropped to partners when OLAB officially launches. Thus, the DAO will serve as a catalyst for knowledge dissemination at many layers within the blockchain space. This is very important because blockchain technology lacks an essential theoretical foundation, methodological framework of study, and peer reviewed dissemination of knowledge. Our team is dedicated to being among the foremost thinkers, listeners, and storytellers in Latin America as the region is currently being transformed by blockchain technologies… Now and for years to come, this research will serve as a critical chronology and evaluative framework, with the ultimate desire to ensure there is open sourced, accurate, and decentralized research being conducted and circulated throughout Latin America and the world.
Mandate
Knowledge, Policy, and Equity.
Description
Knowledge is the foremost mandate of OLAB because we believe that knowledge is power and power must be decentralized in order to create a better world. We are committed to doing this through conducting qualitative and qualitative data collection in communities, with institutions, and multilateral organizations throughout Latin America. Our principle focus, however, is on working with local communities. To decentralizes knowledge as much as possible, we will have the social token (described above) that engenders knowledge-sharing within the community For example, as Harmony’s HER DAO (an organization dedicated to female empowerment within the crypto space) is working on teaching women in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro about blockchain, they will be able to enlist our help with conducing research on infrastructural and institutional barriers that these women face, in exchange for the social token.
It is sometimes difficult to imagine a decentralized world. Within OLAB, professors work alongside recent doctoral graduates on asking critical questions and researching the answers, together. Not only this, but we are united with all contributors and communities in Latin America by the potential to establish new methods for knowledge generation, dissemination, and public and urban policy as a whole.
Policy is our second mandate, as it is public and urban policy that we ultimately seek to influence and impact with our research. We currently live in a word where society is indeed controlled by those who make policy decisions, but often without a broad enough perspective, and certainly without enough frames of reference…From state welfare, to banking and credit policies, or gender equality, the policies established for our communities must be decided based on more critical frameworks of thought, to build more inclusive and dynamic foundations. Such frameworks can only be understood, however, when there is the information available to thus evaluate. Our governors and fellow research contributors are this dedicated to producing research for the purpose of public and urban policies which will make for a better future for everyone in Latin America.
Equity is our third mandate, which indeed underlies everything we are committed to as OLAB DAO. Starting with our team of governors who are chosen and voted upon by the rest of the community, to the research we conduct and share. What this means is that we respect the rights of all individuals, from their unique and often difficult histories as Latin Americans, to their right to a better future. Blockchain technology is revolutionizing the potential to actually create equity, predominantly though open sourced knowledge, which transcends economic barriers established by geopolitical borders.
Governance
As a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) OLAB is a community founded on the principle that all decisions are to be made in a decentralized way, including who is involved in various roles and for how long. Given the nature of our work, which is research that involves longevity, not all governors will cycle through each quarter, but a vote will be taken every three months to make sure everyone feels that everyone else is participating equally. Naturally, governors will need to work on other aspects of their careers as time goes on, at which point contributors will be given priority for upcoming governance roles. This is to both retain consistency as well as to decrease time spent on-boarding new governors to our research process and community.
Social Token
The Observatorio will launch a social token and airdrop these to other DAOs and individuals within the Harmony ecosystem. This will include both other DAOs and individual stakeholders at Harmony. These holders will then be able to return the tokens when they find a topic they want to have investigated. Thereby, they will be buying research on topics that they would like our help investigating to help with their projects too. This way, the DAO becomes even more decentralized because our research will help with the goals of many other people and projects. Furthermore, we will then re-share for one another on our network through the monthly newsletter and social media channels. In fact, Rosa Jimenez Cano from Harmony, with 47,700 twitter followers based in Latin America”. In addition to this knowledge dissemination, token holders will have access to special events such as conferences in Latin America and OLAB gatherings.
Publications/Media to Collaborate with
OLAB Journal
The New School University Website
LASA Journal (annual)
NUSO- Revista Nueva Sociedad publish through German Social Democracy.
Revista Temas- Cuban Journal.
Revista Economia y Desarrollo, University of Havana.
Miradas a la Economia Cubana Series (aim to allocate a chapter to our research, in time).
Conferences
ETH Buenos Aires (Summer, 2022)
DEFCON Bogota (Fall 2022)
Consensus Austin (Summer, 2022)
Venezuelan Conferences (Spring, 2022)
Mexican Conference (Summer, 2022)
LASA Congress, San Francisco (2022)
ASCE Congress, Miami
First Quarter:
-Governors will have a clear idea on the expectations they would like to set for their work, in line with the mission of OLAB and individual skill sets of all governors.
-Governors establish bi-monthly meetings as a whole team. After each internal meeting a memo will be circulated with individual and group tasks as well as official deadlines, so nobody misses anything. -Social token will be airdropped to ecosystem DAOs and community stakeholders at Harmony.
-A website will be built for OLAB with a connected newsletter and links to the work of governors, contributors, and associated DAOs who are using our social tokens for their research purposes. -Social media account created and connected to that of both governors and contributors. -Research is conducted by each of the 7 governors, the organization of which will be determined by the governors starting in our first meeting.
-A newsletter is shared once a month on the OLAB website and through social media, as well as across the Harmony network.
-All regional Latin American conferences are attended by at least one governor.
-Contributors are continuously added as researchers, writers, editors, etc.
-75k dispersed to governors, contributors, and to pay for the website, travel costs, as well as newsletter tokenization process.
-Further funding sought at conferences through other blockchain companies such as Chainlink, as well as liquidity generating mechanisms.
-Consideration of a podcast, or appearing as a guest on podcasts.
Metrics
- Each month a newsletter will be released with several articles, written by governors with the help of regional contributors. These will not be peer reviewed of course, but could develop into that kind of publication.
-A social token will be given to community stakeholders and DAOs within the ecosystem, in order to promote more knowledge sharing and as means to make money.
-We shrive to publish, but certainly present, a peer reviewed within the first 12 months of the DAO. However, this is not a formal metric given the complexity of such a publication.
-Governors will meet on a bi-monthly basis to discuss their progress and ideas, as a whole group and in break out groups.
-All regional conferences will be attended by DAO members and granted the funding to do so.
-Local communities will be listened to, collaborated with, and this will be evident in the qualitative research produced.
-Our social media will be connected to other Latin American DAOs, Harmony, and other blockchain organizations that have a similar mission to increase the proliferation of knowledge, improvement of pubic and urban policy , and improvement in equity .
Governors
- Rory Curtin- PhD candidate in Public and Urban Policy, writing her thesis on the how cryptocurrencies are changing the meaning, function, and perception of money in Latin America.
- Denise Delgado- PhD candidate at the University of Massachusetts in Public Politics, with a focus on remittances in Latin America.
- David Pajon Espina- PhD, graduate from Faculty of Economics, University of Havana, 2009. MA in Economics (remarks on economic policy). Professor, researcher and independent consultant. Fields of research include economic policy evaluation, tourism, trade of medical services, reform and private sector in Cuba, cryptos and innovations in the Cuban environment.
- Marcelo Silva- Recent PhD graduate from UFRJ, Brazil, in Practical Philosophy. He analyses how the Trumann Doctrine shaped the institutional framework of Latin American democracies and in building liquidity pools that will fund initiatives with a positive impact in the society and in the environment.
- Fabiana Perera - Works for the Department of Defense (US) and as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She has a PhD in political science from George Washington University and a masters in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University.
- Gabriel Vignoli- Assistant professor at The New School in the department of Public Engagement. He looks at black markets as alternative modes of governance, more specifically at how they operate as sites of economic and legal experimentation in the production of national and transnational economies.
- Rosa Jiménez Cano - Journalist and content producer with EL PAÍ as well as the first Spanish-speaking Silicon Valley correspondent. She also has experience with VC investment, and startups such as accelerators dedicated to diverse founders and emerging tech hubs.
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