TwoStepDemocracy: Prototyping of self-evolving, democratic, and decentralized systems
S. Verlaan (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
J.A. Pouwelse – Mentor (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
D.M.J. Tax – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
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Abstract
Decentralised systems are often built to avoid central control, but their evolution almost always depends on centralised platforms, informal maintainer authority, and a surprising amount of unpaid goodwill. To address this uncomfortable mismatch, we introduce TwoStepDemocracy, a technical proof-of-concept for protocol-native software evolution.
The prototype combines costly cryptographic identities, peer-to-peer dissemination, issue and solution voting, and Bitcoin-based funding campaigns. Users can express demand by proposing and voting on issues; developers can submit concrete solutions; and accepted work can be linked to voluntary, non-custodial funding. The design deliberately separates demand, approval, and payment. This way, money can support a solution, but it never buys more voting power.
The prototype demonstrates that such a coordination layer can be built as a peer-to-peer implementation with local storage, signed governance objects, and Bitcoin integration. We studied performance, scalability, and costs across storage, identity management, and funding. The results show technical feasibility, but not yet social viability. A larger user study is still needed to evaluate whether real communities would, in practice, vote, fund, and coordinate through this mechanism.