Polkadot DAO

Academic Research

Making enforceable frameworks for treasury-funded proposals. Wrapping investigation into the Polkadot DAO structure under U.S. and international law.

Coming Soon...

Active Bounties

Treasury-funded departments

Polkadot Governance Hierarchy

Polkadot DAO operational structure showing the flow of authority from DOT token holders through OpenGov to treasury-funded bounty programs. Click on any bounty to view its treasury page.

Development

7 bounties • Building tools, apps, and infrastructure

Security

3 bounties • Protecting the ecosystem

Community

4 bounties • Growing and supporting the community

Infrastructure

4 bounties • Core network services

Marketing

1 bounties • Ecosystem promotion

Governance

1 bounties • Legal and compliance

⚠️ CRITICAL GOVERNANCE RISKS

SYSTEMIC LEGAL PROTECTION GAP

• 19/20 bounties operate without corporate liability protection
• Individual contributors face direct personal liability
• No standardized legal framework across treasury operations
• Cross-border regulatory compliance gaps

CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT IMPOSSIBILITY

• No legal entity to enforce bounty deliverable contracts
• Treasury payments without recourse mechanisms
• Pseudonymous contributors cannot be held accountable
• IP ownership and licensing complications

📊 VOTING PARTICIPATION CRISIS

• Only ~1% of total DOT supply participates in OpenGov voting
• Vast majority of holders: Non-voting / Passive in governance
• Decisions made by tiny minority of token holders
• SubDAOs and organized groups control majority vote
• Democratic legitimacy questionable vs network security
• Most DOT holders focus on staking rewards, not governance

⚖️ DIRECT LIABILITY RISK

• High voting power entities have direct responsibility for treasury decisions without protection
• Concentrated voting power = Greater liability exposure
• Referendum #1591: PCF Creation & Scope Definition liability
• Treasury allocations could create fiduciary duty obligations

⚠️ Impact:These systemic issues create significant legal and operational risks for Polkadot governance participants and treasury beneficiaries.