Nadia Asparouhova: on public goods & peer production
Aug 31, 2022
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A discussion with Nadia Asparouhova on public goods and peer production, exploring the history of philanthropy and different approaches to funding models. Insights into wealth booms in tech and crypto, the dynamics of peer production, and the role of intrinsic vs extrinsic rewards. The evolving landscape of public goods provisioning, innovative philanthropic funding models, and the intersection of open source communities and crypto. Exploring the research methodology and tools for thought in the realm of public goods and peer production.
Philanthropy evolving to fund public goods as risk capital, tech wealth booms impact philanthropy models.
Role of independent researchers in diverse and impactful research, freedom to connect with real-world applications.
New funding models needed for sustainable public goods, crypto's potential in philanthropic funding initiatives.
Deep dives
The Shift in Philanthropy
The podcast episode discusses the shift in philanthropy and the exploration of public goods. The conversation delves into the history of philanthropy and how previous generations approached the concept of public goods. It also examines the wealth booms in the tech and crypto industries and the potential impact on philanthropy. The discussion highlights the importance of funding public goods and the role of independent researchers in shaping societal impact. The episode emphasizes the need for a broader perspective on philanthropy and encourages experimentation in funding models.
The Role of Independent Researchers
The podcast explores the role of independent researchers in contributing to knowledge and impacting society. It discusses the value of being an independent researcher and the freedom it provides to stay connected to real-world applications and diverse populations. The conversation also touches on the impact of publishing research in different mediums and the potential to reach a wider audience. It highlights the importance of following personal intuition and interests in pursuing research topics and emphasizes the need to stay connected to the people one aims to understand.
The Challenges of Funding Public Goods
The podcast episode delves into the challenges of funding public goods and examines different models and initiatives in philanthropy. It explores the concept of risk capital for public goods, comparing it to venture capital for private goods. The discussion highlights the limitations of traditional philanthropy and the need for new funding models that facilitate early stage experimentation and sustainability of public goods. It also touches on the potential role of crypto in funding public goods and the need to consider the long-term impact and scalability of funding initiatives.
The Evolution of Open Source and its Relevance to Crypto
The podcast episode discusses the evolution of open source communities and draws parallels to the crypto ecosystem. It highlights the initial vision of decentralized peer production in open source software development and the shift towards more centralized models with core teams and contributors. The conversation explores the potential for crypto protocols to be built by collectives and decentralized networks and the challenges of maintaining collaboration and effective decision-making in these contexts. It acknowledges examples of both successful collaborative efforts and challenges faced by decentralized organizations in crypto.
Balancing inclusiveness and exclusiveness in open source and crypto
The podcast episode explores the tension between inclusiveness and exclusiveness in open source projects and how it translates to the crypto space. The speaker differentiates between consumers and producers of open source projects, emphasizing that being open to everyone to use the project doesn't necessarily mean accepting contributions from everyone. They suggest that it's important to set boundaries and be selective in order to prevent overwhelming or extractive contributors. The episode also discusses the challenge of governance and decision-making in crypto protocols, where users and developers' interests can sometimes conflict. The speaker acknowledges the need to find a balance between inclusiveness and extrinsic motivations, such as financial rewards, in order to sustain the growth and development of crypto projects.
The role of financial value in open source and crypto contributions
The episode delves into the impact of financial value on contributions in open source and crypto projects. The speaker reflects on the historical lack of financial support for open source developers and the contrasting situation in crypto, where developers can be financially rewarded for their work through grants, airdrops, and other programs. However, they note that financial rewards are not always effective motivators and can even deter contributions. The episode raises questions about finding the right balance in rewarding different types of contributions, distinguishing between modular, granular contributions and the more complex role of project maintenance. The speaker also highlights the evolving funding mechanisms and roles within the crypto ecosystem and the importance of understanding the motivations of different stakeholders.
Nadia Asparouhova is an independent researcher. She previously wrote about her research on open-source communities in "Working in Public", and more recently, has been researching the history of and approaches to philanthropy - which she defines with this phrase “if venture capital is risk capital for private goods, philanthropy is risk capital for public goods”.
In this conversation, we talked about public goods from this broader perspective. We talked about how previous generations have thought about this question, and how the tech ecosystem outside of crypto are grappling with this today. We talked about the second-order effects of wealth booms which have happened in both tech and crypto, how peer production happens, and the role that intrinsic versus extrinsic rewards might play in the development of crypto protocols.
Timestamps: (00:00:00) - intro (00:02:01) - working as an independent researcher (00:06:09) - understanding wealth booms in tech and crypto (00:13:01) - the unique perspectives of each successive community (00:25:46) - the right (and wrong) question to ask (00:34:41) - the landscape of public goods provisioning (00:39:22) - innovative philanthropic funding models (00:45:35) - the first wave of open source communities and crypto (00:54:42) - different classes of stakeholders (01:05:00) - research methodology and tools for thought
Into the Bytecode: - Sina Habibian on X: https://twitter.com/sinahab - Sina Habibian on Farcaster - https://warpcast.com/sinahab - Into the Bytecode: https://intothebytecode.com
Disclaimer: this podcast is for informational purposes only. It is not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell securities. The host and guests may hold positions in the projects discussed.
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