Blockchains Are Revolutionizing Public Goods Funding

Rewriting how capital flows through society is arguably the biggest unlock in crypto. As blockchains compete for market share, we're begging to see rapid experimentation with novel forms of funding that grow impact ecosystems, says Sophia Dew.

Cryptocurrency is unlocking a new way to fund public goods, and it could have a major impact on society.

Blockchains are competing for market share by experimenting with novel forms of funding that grow impact ecosystems. But what exactly does this mean?

Capital is flowing in a new direction, thanks to blockchains. But to fully grasp the significance of this shift, we must first define “public goods.”

A good illustration is a scientific breakthrough. Once discovered, it may be freely shared and used by anybody without diminishing its worth. This characteristic makes it harder for the private sector to fund scientific research since they can't recoup their investment. However, government funding may step in to fill this vacuum.

Another example of a public good is a cathedral. It serves the whole community as a place of worship, but it is challenging for the private sector to construct a cathedral since they cannot charge people to use it and so cannot recoup their expenses. However, community funding or government subsidies may be used to construct a cathedral.

Cryptocurrency is unlocking a new way to fund public goods, and it could have a major impact on society. Here's how.

But what does this have to do with cryptocurrencies and blockchains? It turns out that blockchains can be used to create new and innovative ways of funding public goods.

One example is quadratic funding, which Gitcoin uses to distribute matching funds to Web3 projects. With quadratic funding, each donation to a project is matched by a decreasing multiple of funds from a central pool. This means that early donations to a project have a greater impact on the total amount of funds raised, encouraging a diverse group of donors to contribute to a wide range of projects.

Another example is RetroPGF, which Optimism uses to retroactively fund impactful projects in its ecosystem. With RetroPGF, a group of community members decides which projects to fund after the funding round has ended. This allows projects to demonstrate their impact before receiving funding, ensuring that the funds go to the most deserving projects.

These are just two examples of how blockchains can be used to fund public goods. As blockchains continue to grow and mature, we can expect to see even more creative and impactful ways of funding public goods being developed.

And this has the potential to completely alter how society operates. When governments or a small group of wealthy people have a monopoly on deciding how to allocate capital, it might lead to a concentration of power and a misallocation of resources. But a decentralized and community-driven approach to capital allocation might guarantee that funds are directed towards the projects and initiatives that will generate the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

This might also result in a more equitable and just society since everyone would have a stake in how capital is allocated. But it's crucial to keep in mind that this is only the beginning. We still have a long way to go before we can completely realize the potential of blockchains to effect good in the world.