Incentives for Sustainable Governance in Blockchain-Based Organizations

Bruna Bruno (), Angelo Murano and Vincenzo Vespri
Additional contact information
Bruna Bruno: Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Angelo Murano: Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Salerno, via Giovanni Paolo II, 84084 Fisciano, Italy
Vincenzo Vespri: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science “Ulisse Dini”, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 67/a, 50134 Firenze, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-17

Abstract: This study analyzes how blockchain technology can be interpreted through an economic perspective, viewing network nodes as rational agents whose strategic behavior affects the efficiency and sustainability of decentralized systems. Using a multi-player non-cooperative game with complete but imperfect information, we model validators’ decisions in voting-based consensus mechanisms and compare alternative incentive configurations through simulation results. The analysis shows how variations in reward schemes influence validators’ behavior and consensus reliability. Extending the framework to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), the study explores how blockchain-based incentives can enhance participation, accountability, and decentralized governance. The findings highlight that incentive design plays a decisive role in aligning individual motivations with collective goals, ensuring both network integrity and long-term sustainability. Overall, this study connects economic theory with blockchain governance, extending its relevance to business and organizational contexts beyond cryptocurrencies.

Keywords: incentive compatibility; game-theoretic approach; blockchain governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9728/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/21/9728/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:21:p:9728-:d:1784565

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().