Last updated 6 months ago
Without defensible thresholds for DRep voting power saturation, Cardano governance risks disproportionate influence by a few actors, reduced diversity, and underrepresentation of emerging regions.
We will analyze DRep voting power and regional ADA distribution, model saturation options, assess governance feasibility, and deliver open data, simulations, and policy recommendations.
This is the total amount allocated to dRep Voting Power Saturation Research.
Please provide your proposal title
dRep Voting Power Saturation Research
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
60000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
5
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Without defensible thresholds for DRep voting power saturation, Cardano governance risks disproportionate influence by a few actors, reduced diversity, and underrepresentation of emerging regions.
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
'No dependencies'
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
Yes
License and Additional Information
Yes. All produced content, scripts, and educational materials will be made available under an open license for community use and adaptation. This ensures transparency, encourages collaboration, and allows other creators in the Cardano ecosystem to build upon our work. We will maintain a public repository containing our assets, captions, and planning documents so others can replicate or extend our outreach efforts.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Governance
Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.
Our target audience includes key governance participants such as delegators, DReps, SPOs, Constitutional Committee members, and large ADA holders (“whales”). Engaging these stakeholders is critical to Cardano’s governance health, as their informed participation directly influences proposal outcomes, decentralization, and the network’s long-term sustainability. By providing high-quality content tailored to them, we strengthen decision-making and community alignment.
Provide a list of key activities of your project?
We will host at least 6 in-depth webinars for delegators, DReps, SPOs, CC members, and whales, focusing on governance, voting strategies, and the benefits of redelegating to improve decentralization. These sessions aim to reach 300+ participants, with follow-up materials and community discussions provided to reinforce learning, encourage ongoing engagement, and promote active redelegation within the Cardano ecosystem.
What are your success metrics?
Success will be measured by the number of governance leaders engaged (DReps, SPOs, CC members, whales), attendees who redelegate after webinars, governance-focused events organized, redelegation rates, growth of smaller DReps, enthusiasm for change, and the reach of posts and reports.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
This project combines targeted governance outreach with a rigorous research effort to address two critical needs in Cardano’s governance ecosystem:
Increasing informed participation and redelegation among governance leaders.
Providing data-backed recommendations on optimal DRep voting power saturation to strengthen decentralization.
Part 1: Governance Engagement & Redelegation
We will deliver a program of at least six in-depth webinars over five months, tailored to delegators, DReps, SPOs, Constitutional Committee members, and whales.
Topics will include:
The mechanics of Cardano governance.
Voting strategies and proposal evaluation.
Benefits and practical steps for redelegating from saturated or over-concentrated DReps to smaller ones.
The impact of redelegation on decentralization and governance health.
Each session will include live Q&A, case studies, and actionable guides, with recordings and summary reports published for wider access. Social media campaigns and governance reports will extend reach and reinforce learning.
We will track redelegation rates after participation, growth of smaller DReps, and shifts in sentiment toward decentralization.
Part 2: DRep Voting Power Saturation Research
We will conduct a structured, open-source study to measure current DRep voting power concentration and explore mechanisms for introducing a saturation threshold.
The research will:
Analyze on-chain data to calculate decentralization metrics (HHI, Gini, Effective # DReps, Shannon Entropy, Banzhaf index).
Map regional ADA distribution to understand geographic imbalances.
Model different saturation mechanisms (hard caps, linear decay, soft caps) using stake pool saturation formulas as a baseline.
Simulate how each mechanism affects decentralization, regional representation, and voting outcomes.
Assess governance feasibility (parameter change, CIP, constitutional amendment, ledger rule update) without writing or delivering code.
Deliverables will include datasets, simulation outputs, visual dashboards, and a governance feasibility report with policy recommendations. This will equip the community and governance bodies with clear, evidence-based options for implementing saturation if adopted.
Integration of Both Parts
By combining real-world governance leader engagement with empirical research, the project ensures that educational outreach is backed by the latest data on voting power concentration, and that research insights are shared directly with those who can act on them.
This dual approach will:
Encourage immediate redelegation behavior changes.
Provide the community with the tools and evidence needed for long-term governance improvements.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
This project will directly strengthen Cardano’s governance by addressing both behavioral change and structural reform.
In the short term, targeted webinars and governance engagement will educate high-impact stakeholders — including delegators, DReps, SPOs, Constitutional Committee members, and whales — on the importance of decentralization and the practical steps to redelegate away from over-saturated DReps. This will result in more balanced delegation, growth of smaller DReps, and improved voter diversity.
In the medium to long term, the open-source research on DRep voting power saturation will provide the Cardano community with actionable, data-backed options for setting optimal voting power thresholds. By modeling multiple mechanisms, assessing their governance feasibility, and publishing clear recommendations, we empower the ecosystem to adopt solutions that protect against centralization without harming participation.
Combined, these efforts will:
Increase informed participation in governance.
Improve decentralization of voting power.
Strengthen regional representation in decision-making.
Equip the community with the evidence and policy framework to implement saturation if approved.
Create lasting resources — datasets, dashboards, and guides — that can be reused by future governance initiatives.
The outcome is a healthier, more representative governance system that aligns with Cardano’s constitutional principles and long-term sustainability.
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
Caleb Montiel and his team have a proven track record in Cardano governance education and outreach, demonstrated through Cardano Curation’s consistent, high-quality content across five social media platforms over the past three months. Caleb’s governance credentials include hosting a Constitutional Workshop, serving as a representative for Paraguay at the Constitutional Convention, and being an Intersect grant recipient.
His leadership experience extends beyond content creation — Caleb has facilitated high-impact governance discussions, engaged directly with delegators, DReps, SPOs, Constitutional Committee members, and whales, and successfully managed community-driven initiatives. His team’s ability to design and deliver webinars, workshops, and reports ensures both the educational and research components of this project are achievable within scope, budget, and timeline.
For the research segment on DRep voting power saturation, Caleb’s network and governance expertise position the team to collaborate effectively with blockchain data analysts and governance researchers. By leveraging established data sources (db-sync, Koios, Blockfrost) and statistical tools, they will produce transparent, reproducible findings to inform decentralization policy.
With deep governance involvement, recognized community leadership, and proven delivery capacity, Caleb and his team are fully capable of executing this proposal and producing impactful results for the Cardano ecosystem.
Milestone Title
Milestone 1 - Data, Baseline Analysis & Initial Webinars
Milestone Outputs
Outputs: Gather full on-chain delegation dataset, map ADA distribution across regions using stake pool metadata and heuristics, calculate decentralization metrics (HHI, Gini, entropy, effective DReps), and deliver 3 interactive governance webinars on voting strategies and redelegation benefits.
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria: Dataset must be complete, accurate, and verified by a governance data reviewer, decentralization metrics calculated and documented, and 3 webinars delivered with active participation from delegators, DReps, SPOs, CC members, and whales.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion: Public GitHub release containing dataset and mapping files, baseline metrics report in PDF, uploaded recordings of all 3 webinars, published attendance summaries, and social media posts confirming delivery and community engagement.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
18000
Progress
30 %
Milestone Title
Milestone 2 - Simulations, Feasibility Analysis & Continued Outreach
Milestone Outputs
Outputs: Run simulations on multiple DRep saturation models (hard caps, soft caps, linear decay) using real delegation data, produce a governance feasibility report detailing adoption paths, and host 3 webinars teaching redelegation methods to improve decentralization outcomes.
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria: Simulation outputs are complete, reproducible, and documented, feasibility report reviewed by governance advisors, and 3 webinars completed with significant engagement from target governance audiences, including redelegation follow-up tracking.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion: GitHub repo updated with simulation code, datasets, and visualizations; feasibility report PDF published for community access; redelegation tracking report compiled; recordings of 3 webinars posted along with participant feedback summaries.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
18000
Progress
60 %
Milestone Title
Milestone 3 - Final Report, Policy Package & Close-Out
Milestone Outputs
Outputs: Produce comprehensive final research report integrating all findings, draft governance action text for potential saturation implementation, and create a close-out video summarizing research results, redelegation impacts, and community outreach achievements.
Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria: Final report approved by project lead and peer-reviewed for accuracy, governance action draft completed to CIP-ready standards, and close-out video professionally produced, published, and shared with governance channels for feedback.
Evidence of Completion
Evidence of Completion: GitHub release v1.0 with final report, governance action draft, and supporting datasets; public link to close-out video; distribution records showing video shared to Cardano governance forums, mailing lists, and social media.
Delivery Month
5
Cost
24000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Data engineering: Extract and clean on-chain delegation data using Koios/db-sync/Blockfrost.
Regional mapping of ADA distribution using stake pool metadata, delegation records, and heuristic matching.
Governance metrics calculation: HHI, Gini, entropy, effective number of DReps, Banzhaf, and Shapley indexes.
DRep voting power saturation modeling using multiple decay/cap scenarios based on stake pool saturation formulas.
Production of a governance feasibility report outlining paths for adoption (parameter change, CIP, constitutional amendment, ledger update).
Publishing datasets, visual dashboards, and simulation outputs for community access.
Hosting 6 in-depth governance webinars over 5 months, targeting delegators, DReps, SPOs, CC members, and whales.
Session planning, slide decks, and discussion guides on redelegation strategies, voting mechanics, and decentralization benefits.
Live Q&A sessions and follow-up community discussions.
Recording, editing, and publishing webinars on the website and social media.
Tracking redelegation behavior changes post-webinar through on-chain data analysis.
Editor-in-Chief (Steven): Editing webinar recordings, producing short-form social media content to promote research findings and redelegation guidance.
Visual Artist (Diego): Creating visual assets, infographics, and motion graphics to explain metrics, simulation results, and governance processes.
Web Designer (Jonathan): Developing and maintaining the project website with event schedules, downloadable reports, and governance resources.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This project delivers a dual benefit to the Cardano ecosystem — immediate behavioral change through governance leader engagement and long-term structural improvement through research-backed policy recommendations.
With 60,000 ADA, the majority of funds (83%) go directly to core impact activities: research (50%) and events/webinars (33%). This ensures resources are spent on producing measurable, high-value outputs: open datasets, saturation modeling, governance feasibility reports, and interactive educational events targeting delegators, DReps, SPOs, CC members, and whales.
The research component provides a reusable governance toolset — data pipelines, metrics calculations, and simulation outputs — that can be applied to future decentralization audits without additional cost. The educational component strengthens the governance process by encouraging redelegation from saturated DReps, increasing smaller DRep growth, and fostering informed voting.
By focusing on both data transparency and active stakeholder engagement, the project creates sustainable impact for minimal investment compared to the cost of uninformed governance decisions or unchecked centralization. All deliverables will be open source, enabling replication and further development by the Cardano community.
Terms and Conditions:
Yes
Caleb Montiel – Founder and Director
Role: Oversees the entire project, coordinates content production, and manages community engagement. Caleb is a Cardano DRep, Ambassador, founder of the Paraguay Community Hub, and an Intersect grantee. He has served as a host for a Constitutional Workshop, represented Paraguay at the Constitutional Convention, and actively participates in governance discussions across the ecosystem. Caleb has extensive experience engaging delegators, SPOs, and governance bodies to promote decentralization and informed participation.
Steven Montiel – Editor-in-Chief
Role: Produces, edits, and finalizes high-quality short-form videos optimized for multiple social media platforms, ensuring clarity, engagement, and alignment with project goals.
Diego – Visual Artist
Role: Designs animations, motion graphics, and visual assets that enhance the educational and visual appeal of all project content.
Jonathan – Web Designer
Role: Develops and maintains the project’s website, ensuring a seamless user experience, mobile responsiveness, and integration of multimedia resources.