How BOSAGORA Will Future Proof With VOTERA

Technology is the story of change. Successful technologies improve, adapt, and evolve over time, while successful technology companies make sure their products and services move with the times. Those who demonstrate a nimble and fleet-footed approach to their operations grow and become stronger, and those who don’t are swiftly consigned to the trash heap of history. The question is therefore how to manage that change, and how to ensure the wisest decision-making process possible.

In blockchain, the sector in which decentralization is the oft-espoused ideal of every project, that decision-making process is all too often placed in the hands of the few rather than in the hands of the many. All too often projects pay lip service to the idea of decentralized governance but there are others who take the idea far more seriously. One such project is BOSAGORA, which has enlisted the help of the decision-making platform VOTERA to give their project the tools they need to create a truly democratic blockchain.

The Problem

In blockchain, poor decisions are created by a number of interacting issues and pain points. Incomplete information, power dynamics, biases, and peer pressure all play a part in compromising a democracy and pushing it off course. Once undermined, these malfunctioning democracies result in poor decisions that do not represent the true will of the people.

• Incomplete information: incomplete information, whether that information is based on concrete facts or personal experience leads to incomplete or broken solutions.
• Power dynamics: a small group of people makes decisions in their own interests without taking proper consideration of the opinions of those who are most impacted by them. This leads to marginalized voices and the possibility of resentment building.
• Cognitive biases: no individual is free of cognitive biases. Whether conscious or subconscious, without the benefit of others’ perspectives these biases remain unchallenged and unrecognized.
• Peer pressure: social or peer pressure reduces the possibility of constructive and useful dialogue.

Without an awareness of these matters and a willingness to tackle them head-on, no democratic blockchain can truly live up to the name.

The Congress Network and VOTERA

On the BOSAGORA blockchain the place where decisions are made is called the Congress Network, funded and supported by the Commons Budget. This is based on node deliberation and voting and serves as a place where members can come together to exchange ideas and to deliberate on their merits. Decisions can then be reached upon the appropriate course of action, and then carried out. The two major types of decisions that BOSAGORA tackles are system and funding proposals. System proposals directly impact the BOSAGORA platform, while funding proposals are requests for funding from the Commons Budget.

In any democratic system, a participant's right to privacy needs to be maintained at all times. If there is no privacy, then there is a risk that those within the system can be unduly influenced or coerced into behaving in ways that they would not otherwise. Everyone who participates in BOSAGORA’s platform will be able to express whatever opinion they have anonymously without anyone having any knowledge of their decisions in the Congress Network. This will prevent anyone from collecting the digital activities of others and monitoring them.

Anyone who participates in the BOSAGORA network and has a node is given a voice and the right to vote. Members of the Congress share and discuss various opinions through VOTERA and decide on a future vote. However, there may still be members who are disingenuous and malicious. To solve this problem, any Congress member can report and punish them to prevent malicious behavior.

The next value is flexibility. This is one of the most powerful aspects of the system’s functionality. Since everyone has differing approaches to workflow, and the ways in which they might tackle any given problem may differ, BOSAGORA and VOTERA allow the decision-making process to be as intricate or as simplistic as necessary. Different stages and features of the process can be activated or switched off according to specific needs and then activated or disabled as required. This flexible workflow can be customized during the process as well, allowing for changing priorities to be handled in real-time.

To maintain efficiency, VOTERA uses activity templates and a wide catalog of features to signpost expectations for members at each and every stage. This facilitates the smooth operation of the democratic system and is also expected to encourage lively discussions, engaged evaluations of specific processes, and of course, the votes of Congress members.

Lastly, accountability and transparency are important foundations for any decision-making process and help to ensure that good decisions are made. To make sure this happens, VOTERA on BOSAGORA archives every single discussion and vote that occurs on the network. Every decision at every step along the way can be fully reviewed and audited by members. This allows for the enforcement of the decisions that are made, and to monitor the success of the process and the conclusions that were reached.

Conclusion

A number of blockchains have encountered problems when the voice of their community was not heard, or the best course of action became unclear. In the case of Bitcoin this has happened more than once, with a number of chains splits occurring including Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV. Most recently, the purchase of STEEM by Justin Sun resulted in fears of centralization from the networks’ user base with the network splitting and creating a new blockchain called HIVE. The development further emphasizes what can happen when decentralization doesn’t fully live up to its promises.

With democratic governance at the heart of BOSAGORA it is better equipped than most to change and evolve with the times. By creating the most robust system of governance possibly anywhere in blockchain, the BOSAGORA project can improve and adapt over time.