CommonGround White Paper
Title
CommonGround: A Decentralized Governance System for Collective Intelligence
Abstract
CommonGround is a governance framework enabling decentralized, participatory, and developmentally-aware decision-making.
Problem
- Centralized systems → capture
- Direct democracy → instability
- DAOs → plutocracy + low engagement
Approach
- Revocable delegation
- Structured deliberation
- Subsidiarity
- Federation
Core Innovations
- Revocability without instability
- Deliberation-first governance
- Scope-aware participation
- Commons-based architecture
System Design
- Protocol + nodes + apps
- Local-first + federated
- Open standards
Governance Model
- Proposals → deliberation → voting
- Quorum + thresholds
- Stability windows
Risks
- Complexity
- Participation fatigue
- Adversarial behavior
Mitigations
- Strong UX
- Subsidiarity
- Structured deliberation
Conclusion
CommonGround enables systems that distribute power, increase collective intelligence, and support shared stewardship.