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 — giving you a sense of what drives us and what kinds of conversations you can look forward to in the episodes ahead.

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00:00 Teaser

00:33 Meet the Hosts: Jamilya and Eugene

01:08 Jamilya's Journey into Web3 and Governance

01:53 Eugene's Path to Governance and Web3

02:59 Challenges and Fascinations in Governance

04:29 The Appeal and Struggles of Decentralized Governance

13:30 Early Encounters with Cryptocurrency

18:38 Reflections on the Evolution of Web3

24:52 Quiz Time: One-Word Answers

30:50 Closing Thoughts and Future Episodes

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 to digital governance across a wide range of network-coordinated contexts. Together, we unpack the limitations of democratic decision-making, the productive role of conflict, and how constitutions shape resilience in both traditional and decentralized organizations. Drawing from his academic work and his experience advising governments and DAOs, Eric offers sharp insights into the future of governance. The conversation also touches on the importance of an animating purpose in organizational design and what’s at stake in building robust systems for digitally networked communities. Tune in for a deep and thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of theory and practice. Academic work we mention in this episode: - “Governance as Conflict: Constitution of Shared Values Defining Future Margins of Disagreement” (2022) – by Eric Alston https://law.mit.edu/pub/governanceasconflict/release/1 - “What Constitutes a Constitution?” – by Michael Zargham, Eric Alston, Kelsie Nabben, and Ilan Ben-Meir (2023) https://blog.block.science/what-constitutes-a-constitution/ - "Constitutions and Blockchains: Competitive Governance of Fundamental Rule Sets" – by Eric Alston (2019) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3358434 Check new print: - "Handbook on Institutions and Complexity" Edited by Eric Alston , Lee J. Alston , and Bernardo Mueller (2025) https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook/book/9781035309726/9781035309726.xml Listen to this episode on all platforms: - Apple : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gov-futures-trailer/id1823028614?i=1000714675608 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QRkrWmq21Z66jRJtN2UIu - Follow us on X : https://x.com/gov_futures

00:00 Teaser

00:48 Introduction to The Governance Futures Podcast

01:01 Meet Eric Alston: Scholar and Governance Expert

01:37 Exploring Governance and Democratic Decision Making

02:32 Defining Governance in a Digital Context

02:57 The Complexities of Blockchain Governance

06:47 Limitations of Democratic Decision Making

12:29 The Concept of Animating Purpose in Organizations

21:39 Constitutional Design and Governance Structures

34:47 Delegated Authority and Agency Costs

35:34 Separation of Competencies and Review Functions

37:04 Constraints on Governance Authority

40:27 Governance as Conflict

42:19 Emergent Nature of Conflict

53:56 Decentralization and Subsidiarity

59:13 Future of Web3 Governance

01:03:24 Quick Fire Quiz

01:04:40 Conclusion and Acknowledgements

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 Thursday starting July 3, 2025.

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