# Accord - Empowering Communities Through Decentralized Civic Engagement

Carl Barrdahl | Hyper Island | September 2024

By 2035, advancements in AI and automation have significantly transformed the employment landscapes, displacing millions of jobs and creating profound societal challenges. These include economic displacement, civic disengagement, environmental degradation, and a pervasive loss of purpose among individuals. Traditional governance structures have struggled to address these issues effectively, leading to a disconnect between centralized institutions and local communities.

**Accord** is an open-source, blockchain-based platform designed specifically for communities and neghborhoods. It empowers citizens to actively participate in local decision-making, propose and fund community initiatives, and engage in regenerative activities. By leveraging technologies such as blockchain, AI, and quadratic voting, Accord encourages transparent, democratic processes that enhance civic engagement, efficient resources allocation, and community collaboration at the grassroots level.

With a sustainable business model that includes minimal transaction fees and strategic partnerships, Accord is poised to become a pivotal tool in cultivating resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities in an era of technological disruption.

### Problem Statement

The advent of advanced AI and automation technologies is reshaping economies and employment globally. Estimates suggest that by 2030, up to 30% of jobs could be automated, affecting 800 million workers worldwide [^automation]. This technological shift poses significant challenges for local communities.

**Economic Instability**
The replacement of jobs across sectors leaves many without income or meaningful work within their communities. Without traditional employment, individuals struggle to find ways to contribute locally, leading to a loss of purpose.

**Civic Disengagement**
Trust in traditional governance has eroded due to lack of transparency and ineffective decision-making processes, resulting in decreased civic participation. Young people are increasingly turning away from traditional political participation [^voting].

**Environmental Sustainability**
Ongoing environmental degradation requires collective action and efficient allocation of resources to fund regenerative projects and public goods.

These challenges highlight the need for a solution that not only addresses economic and environmental challenges but also revitalizes community engagement and fulfills fundamental human needs [^needs].

### Solution Proposal
Accord is a decentralized platform designed specifically for communities and neighborhoods. It aims to reinvigorate community collaboration through sustainable decision-making and regenerative project and enabling citizens to:

- **Engage in Local Decision-Making** - participate directly in community governance without reliance on centralized institutions.
- **Propose and Fund Community Initiatives** - create and support projects that address local needs and priorities.
- **Collaborate on Regenerative Activities** - work together on environmental and social initiatives benefiting immediate surroundings.

#### Key Features

**Blockchain Technology**
Leveraging blockchain ensures transparency, security, and immutability of transactions and votes. Smart contracts provide programmability to how money flows in the network.

**Quadratic Voting and Funding Mechanisms**
Utilizing quadratic voting allows individuals to express the intensity of their preferences on various proposals, leading to more democratic decision-making. Quadratic funding rewards projects with broad community support, driving resources toward initiatives that reflect collective values [^qv].

**Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Privacy**
Verifies user identities without revealing personal information while still being verifiable to protect privacy and maintaining trust and security within the network [^zk].

**Open-Source and Community-owned**
The platform's code is open-source, allowing for public auditing & verification, and constributions from the community. Contributions create a sense of shared responsibility and stewardship.

**AI-Enhanced Proposals**
AI supports users in formulating, improving, and connecting proposals, encouraging collaboration, preventing duplication of efforts, and maintaining consistency in the proposals. AI also provides impact predictions, helping communities allocate resources effectively.

#### How It Works
1. **User Onboarding** - users sign in (via BankID or other identity provider) and the identity is protected with a zero-knowledge proof to not reveal any details about the person.
2. **Grant Creation** - verified users can create grants that can be funded. These are pools of money that can be distributed to projects and proposals via smart contracts.
3. **Proposal Creation and Discussion** - citizens submit proposals for community projects, regenerative activities, or local initiatives, refined by AI and discussed within the community for feedback and suggestions.
4. **Voting and Funding** - proposals are voted on using quadratic voting, allowing citizens to express the intensity of their preferences.
5. **Implementation and Evaluation** - successful proposals are funded, executed, and evaluated for impact to ensure accountability and transparency

### Business Model
Accord's business model will initially rely on protocol transaction fees for sustainability, with a minimal fee charged on each project funded. Future growth will incorporate grants from NGOs and donations to scale.

- **Protocol Transaction Fees** - a minimal fee charged on transactions within the network (these can be reinvested into the platform and matching pools).
- **Grants, Donations, and Impact Investments** - partnerships with NGOs, governmental grants, and corporate social responsibility programs.
- **Premium Features** - provides municipalities and organizations with insights into community engagement and impact of funded projects.

### Potential Consequences

#### Indended Consequencess

- **Enhanced Civic Participation** - empowers individuals to engage in decision-making processes, increasing trust in institutions.
- **Economic Opportunities** - provides income stream for those displaced by AI through participation in funded projects.
- **Efficient Resource Allocation** - community-driven funding ensures that resources are directed toward projects with public support.
- **Strengthened Communities** - creates a sense of belonging and purpose as individuals collaborate on meaningful initiatives for their communities and neighborhoods.

#### Unintended Consequences

- **Digital Divide** - those without access to technology or lack digital literacy may be excluded, potentially widening social inequalities
- **Security Risks** - while blockchains are secure, smart contract vulnerabilities or malicious actors might exploit the system. Despite anonymity measures and open-source, users may be wary of their voting patterns and engagement being tracked.
- **Potential for Manipulation** - collusion amongst actors could game the quadratic mechanisms as well as buy/sell votes. This could be counteracted with pairwise calculation on the quadratic results and receipt-free voting where the voters cannot prove how they voted.

### Market Opportunity
The demand for community-centric platforms is growing as individuals seek to reclaim agency in local governance and address immediate concerns. Accord taps into this market by offering:

**Readiness of Technology**
- **Advancements in AI and LLMs** - artificial intelligence, particularly large language models (LLMs), have matured to a point where they are powerful, accessible, and easy to implement. This enables the integration of AI tools within Accord to enhance user experience, proposal development, and impact prediction.
- **Mainstream Adoption of Blockchain** - blockchain technology has gained mainstream acceptance, with improved user experiences and interfaces that lower barriers to entry.

**Alignment with Global Trends**
- **Decentralization and Community Empowerment** - there is a growing global movement towards decentralization, with communities seeking greater control over local governance and resource allocation
- **Demand for Transparent Platforms** - increased awareness of privacy and security as well as the need for transparency and trust in platforms.

**Scalability and Adaptability**
- **Versatile Application** - Accord can be tailored to various community sizes and needs, making it scalable across different regions and demographics.
- **Competative Advantage** - by combining advanced technologies in a user-centric platform, Accord stands out from existing solutions that may lack integration, transparency & verifiability, or focus on centralized governance.

### Measuring Success

#### Engagement Metrics
- Number of active users and frequency of participation
- Quantity and quality of proposals submitted and voted for

#### Economic Impact
- Total funds allocated to projects
- Number of income opportunities created through community projects

#### Civic Improvement
- Number of community projects successfully completed
- Improvement in local environment indicators
- Increase in volunteering and community participation outside the platform

### Recommendation

The convergance of technological advancements and societal challenges presents a timely opportunity to implement innovative, community-focused solutions. Accord leverages the readiness of AI, LLMs, and blockchain technologies to offer a transformative platform that addresses economic instability, civic disengagement, and environmental sustainability by empowering communities directly.

A neighbourhood who wants to come together to make improvements could use this platform and show the activity and engagement from the neighbors to the municipality to ask for funding. They could also request funding from related companies, for example KOMPAN for an outoor gym.

### Prototype
The prototype focuses on demonstrating the quadratic voting mechanism and the distribution of funds through a matching pool to various community projects. Community members can:
- **Create Proposals** - submit ideas for community initiatives.
- **Engage in Voting** - allocate votes to proposals based on preference intensity.
- **View Funding Allocation** - see how funds are distributed proportionally to projects with the most community support.


> *Images of creating a new proposal, voting, and results with quadratic distribution of funds*
- https://accord-dev.vercel.app/app/new
- https://accord-dev.vercel.app/poll/cm16dq05j0000adhmiog30fmf
- https://accord-dev.vercel.app/poll/cm16dq05j0000adhmiog30fmf/results

### Purpose Statement
Our mission is to enable individuals and communities to actively participate in building a sustainable, equitable society through collaboration and collective action.

**Reclaiming Agency: The Role of Decentralized Technology in Shaping 2035**
https://medium.com/@carl.b/28445758f748

[^automation]: [Jobs lost, jobs gained: What the future of work will mean for jobs, skills, and wages](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages)

[^needs]: [Manfred Max-Neef's Fundamental human needs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Max-Neef%27s_Fundamental_human_needs)

[^qv]: [Quadratic Voting & Funding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadratic_voting)

[^zk]: [Zero-knowledge proof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-knowledge_proof)

[^voting]: [Young people'sparticipation in European democratic processes](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/745820/IPOL_STU%282023%29745820_EN.pdf)

### References