S.1 Ep.1 What Constitutes Governance? Conflict, Design, and Purpose with Eric Alston

In this episode of The Governance Futures Podcast, hosts Jamilya Kamalova and Eugene Leventhal sit down with Eric Alston to explore the evolving dynamics of governance. Eric is a Scholar in Residence in the Finance Division at CU Boulder. His research and teaching draw from institutional analysis, law and economics, and constitutional design. He pursues questions ranging from institutional and organizational theory to digital governance across a wide range of network-coordinated contexts. Together, we unpack the limitations of democratic decision-making, the productive role of conflict, and how constitutions shape resilience in both traditional and decentralized organizations. Drawing from his academic work and his experience advising governments and DAOs, Eric offers sharp insights into the future of governance. The conversation also touches on the importance of an animating purpose in organizational design and what’s at stake in building robust systems for digitally networked communities. Tune in for a deep and thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of theory and practice. Academic work we mention in this episode: - “Governance as Conflict: Constitution of Shared Values Defining Future Margins of Disagreement” (2022) – by Eric Alston https://law.mit.edu/pub/governanceasconflict/release/1 - “What Constitutes a Constitution?” – by Michael Zargham, Eric Alston, Kelsie Nabben, and Ilan Ben-Meir (2023) https://blog.block.science/what-constitutes-a-constitution/ - "Constitutions and Blockchains: Competitive Governance of Fundamental Rule Sets" – by Eric Alston (2019) https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3358434 Check new print: - "Handbook on Institutions and Complexity" Edited by Eric Alston , Lee J. Alston , and Bernardo Mueller (2025) https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook/book/9781035309726/9781035309726.xml Listen to this episode on all platforms: - Apple : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gov-futures-trailer/id1823028614?i=1000714675608 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QRkrWmq21Z66jRJtN2UIu - Follow us on X : https://x.com/gov_futures

 

00:00 Teaser

00:48 Introduction to The Governance Futures Podcast

01:01 Meet Eric Alston: Scholar and Governance Expert

01:37 Exploring Governance and Democratic Decision Making

02:32 Defining Governance in a Digital Context

02:57 The Complexities of Blockchain Governance

06:47 Limitations of Democratic Decision Making

12:29 The Concept of Animating Purpose in Organizations

21:39 Constitutional Design and Governance Structures

34:47 Delegated Authority and Agency Costs

35:34 Separation of Competencies and Review Functions

37:04 Constraints on Governance Authority

40:27 Governance as Conflict

42:19 Emergent Nature of Conflict

53:56 Decentralization and Subsidiarity

59:13 Future of Web3 Governance

01:03:24 Quick Fire Quiz

01:04:40 Conclusion and Acknowledgements