{"id":104685,"date":"2025-10-14T14:33:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T14:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=104685"},"modified":"2025-10-14T14:33:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T14:33:41","slug":"are-the-roots-of-crypto-daos-in-the-swiss-mountain-village-of-torbel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/?p=104685","title":{"rendered":"Are the roots of Crypto DAO\u2019s in the Swiss mountain village of T\u00f6rbel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A time journey to the early research work in autonomous communities<\/em><\/h4>\n

Introduction<\/h3>\n

In order to understand better the mission and principles of Distributed Autonomous Organizations (DAO), you have to look into history. The article outlines the benefit of autonomous organizations, by using the example of commons management and some ground-breaking research studies in this area from the last\u00a0century.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get the term DAO defined\u00a0first:<\/p>\n

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), sometimes labelled a decentralized autonomous corporation (DAC), is an organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program that is transparent, controlled by shareholders and not influenced by a central government. A DAO\u2019s financial transaction record and program rules are maintained on a blockchain. (<\/em>Source<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Why T\u00f6rbel?<\/h3>\n

But why the heck T\u00f6rbel then, a mountain village itself located in the Vispertal trench of the upper Valais canton of Switzerland.?<\/p>\n

Friedrich-Karl Mohr, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE<\/a> via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Well the argument is rooted in the work of two famous academics who studied in\u00a0T\u00f6rbel:<\/p>\n

Robert McC. Netting (Anthropologist): He studied T\u00f6rbel in the 1970s, documenting its centuries-old system of communal management of alpine resources like irrigation water, forests, and pastureland. His work, Balancing on an Alp<\/em> (1981), highlighted the success of small-scale, locally managed ecological systems.Elinor Ostrom (Political Scientist & Nobel Laureate): She built upon Netting\u2019s work, using T\u00f6rbel as a key case study in her ground-breaking book, Governing the Commons<\/em> (1990). T\u00f6rbel\u2019s water-sharing system, with its clear rules, graduated sanctions, monitoring, and collective decision-making, was one of the central examples she used to prove that communities can successfully manage shared resources without relying on either privatization or centralized government control<\/p>\n

When I started researching the root of DAO\u2019s I got surprised by the fact, that a Swiss mountain village played a pivotal role in early research work about autonomous decentralized communities. And even better with the village-associated mountain pasture \u201cMoosalp\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200awhich played a central role in this research work\u200a\u2014\u200aI have a personal relationship. The mountain pasture is the home of a lovely tiny restaurant, which was our daily meeting point almost twenty years ago when our kids learned\u00a0skiing.<\/p>\n

Restaurant Moosalp ( Google Moosalp Photo Archive\u00a0)<\/p>\n

Elinor Ostrom, the American lady in the picture below was mainly responsible for making T\u00f6rbel well-known in the international world of political science.<\/p>\n

Elinor Ostrom visiting T\u00f6rbel (right: Alex Petrig\u200a\u2014\u200acommunity president T\u00f6rbel)\u200a\u2014\u200arro.ch<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Elinor Ostrom<\/a> (died 2012), an American political economist, which was studying the village as part of her ground-breaking book \u201cGoverning the Commons\u201d (1990, Cambridge). She was awarded in 2009 the Nobel prize for Economic Science for her \u201canalysis of economic governance, especially the commons<\/a> \u201d. By the way, the only woman up to now who was elected for the Nobel prize in Economic\u00a0Science.<\/p>\n

Cambridge University Press\u00a01990<\/p>\n

Definition of\u00a0Commons<\/h3>\n

As you may have realized the term commons plays a key role up to now, so it\u2019s time to give a short definition of the term in the context of political economics.<\/p>\n

The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable earth. These resources are held in common, not owned privately. Commons can also be understood as natural resources that groups of people (communities, user groups) manage for individual and collective benefit. Characteristically, this involves a variety of informal norms and values (social practice) employed for a governance mechanism<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the classical definition, but the rise of the Internet introduced new commons, as for example \u201cInformation\u201d and Knowledge\u201d which is available for free and everybody via the internet. These new commons will be part of another article, so let\u2019s stay with the\u00a0history.<\/p>\n

Academic Studies about Autonomous Organizations in\u00a0T\u00f6rbel<\/h3>\n

Robert Mc Netting\u2019s studies<\/h3>\n

T\u00f6rbel got first in focus in 1972 when the American anthropologist Robert Mc Netting was doing his field study of the local community in the context of historical-cultural ecology aspects. He particularly looked at the long-term relationship between demography\u201a production\u201a and a limited resource\u00a0base.<\/p>\n

Robert\u200a\u2014\u200awho spoke German\u200a\u2014\u200alived for two years in the small alp village and got the opportunity to study all the community and parish books of the last 350 years which outlined how the community was regulating the commons. He produced his findings in his book \u201c Balancing on an Alp\u200a\u2014\u200aecological change and continuity in a Swiss mountain community<\/a> \u201d (Google Books<\/a>). The first section of the Foreword of the Book introduces some interesting concepts.<\/p>\n

Robert Mc Netting \u201cBalancing on an Alp\u201d (1981): https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/balancingonalpec00nett\/page\/n7<\/a><\/p>\n

Closed Corporate Communities<\/h4>\n

The phrase \u201cClosed Corporate Communities\u201d goes back to the 1950ies and was introduced by Eric Wolf in an analysis of peasant communities in \u201cCentral Java and Mesoamerica\u201c<\/p>\n

Closed Corporate Peasant Community (CCPC) is an organizational framework for analysis of peasant communities developed by anthropologist Eric Wolf in the 1950s. Wolf applied his typology of peasant organization to communities in Central Java and Mesoamerica. The CCPC, according to Wolf, is a \u201crelatively autonomous economic, social, linguistic, and politico-religious system.\u201d The community is corporate because it maintains a body of rights and membership, and closed because it limits its benefits to members and discourages participation with the larger society.\u00a0[<\/em>Source<\/em><\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Netting re-used the term \u201cClosed Corporate Community\u201d in his book and he found out that since1483 the villagers were regulating their commons via a formally signed article (body of right), which\u00a0covered<\/p>\n

five types of communally owned property: the alpine grazing meadows, the forests, the \u201cwaste\u201d lands, the irrigation systems, and the paths and roads connecting privately and communally owned properties\u2026 Access to well defined common property was strictly limited to citizens, who were specifically extended communal\u00a0rights.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Homeostatic Model<\/h4>\n

Netting introduced the Homeostatic explanatory model which describes the three forces of \u201cResources\u201d, \u201cEnvironment\u201d and \u201cPopulation\u201d which were held in a long-term balance in the community model of\u00a0T\u00f6rbel.<\/p>\n

He drew upon the biological model to understand how human societies maintain equilibrium within their environment. The core components of this model, independent of the DAO context, are derived from the classic cybernetic and physiological concepts of a self-regulating feedback\u00a0loop<\/p>\n

As he\u00a0stated<\/p>\n

As far as the summer grazing grounds were concerned, regulations written in 16th century stated that no citizen could send more cows to the alp than he could feast during the winter. Thus limiting individuals to the number of animals which their own hay meadows could support and severely fining them for any attempt to appropriate a larger share of community grazing privileges. This rule continues to been forced to the present\u00a0day.<\/em><\/p>\n

Core Components of the\u00a0Model<\/h4>\n

The biological Homeostatic model is made up of three core components (Set-Point, Sensors and Controllers), which Netting applied to his field\u00a0study<\/p>\n

The Regulated Variable (The Goal\/Set-Point)<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the biological model, this is the internal condition that must be held constant (e.g., body temperature, blood glucose). In Netting\u2019s work, this translates to:<\/p>\n

The System\u2019s Optimum State: For a farming community, the \u201cset-point\u201d is the range of conditions necessary for long-term survival and stability, such as maintaining a viable population density relative to resource availability.Essential Resources: Maintaining a constant supply of key resources, like soil fertility or food output, becomes the primary variable that the socio-ecological system must regulate.<\/p>\n

Detection and Measurement (Sensors)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the system\u2019s ability to monitor the regulated variable.<\/p>\n

Observation and Knowledge: In a human system, this is achieved through farmers\u2019 intimate, local knowledge and daily observation of their environment\u200a\u2014\u200asoil quality, rainfall patterns, crop yields, and family labour capacity. They are the \u201csensors\u201d detecting change.The Stimulus\/Perturbation: The factor that causes the system to deviate from its optimal state, such as population pressure (the critical variable in Netting\u2019s work) or environmental stress (e.g., drought).<\/p>\n

Regulatory Mechanisms (Controller and Effectors)<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the compensating actions taken to counteract the deviation and return to equilibrium, often operating via negative feedback.<\/p>\n

Social Instrumentalities: Netting highlighted social and cultural factors that function as effectors to restore balance. These\u00a0include:Intensification of Labor: As population density increases, farmers don\u2019t necessarily move; they intensify production on the same small plot using more labor per unit of land (e.g., better weeding, terracing, manuring). This offsets the strain on land resources.Adjusting Group Structure: Changing the size and complexity of household and family units (e.g., forming larger extended families) to pool labour and efficiently manage the intensified work schedule.Altering Land Tenure: Modifying rights in resources (e.g., from communal to private land tenure) to incentivize long-term investment in soil\u00a0quality.<\/p>\n

Elinor Ostrom\u00a0Studies<\/h3>\n

Elinor Ostrom extended Robert McNetting\u2019s fieldwork in T\u00f6rbel by moving beyond documenting the ecological and social adaptation of peasant farmers and focusing on the institutional frameworks that enabled long-term sustainable management of common resources.<\/p>\n

She used T\u00f6rbel as a foundational case study for her landmark analysis of common pool resources (CPR)<\/em> in her book Governing the\u00a0Commons<\/em>.<\/p>\n

She systematically studied the institutional rules, customs, and community governance that allowed the villagers to collectively manage shared resources (like the bisses, or irrigation channels) for centuries without resource collapse. She came to conclusion<\/p>\n

that from a long-term perspective common resources managed by autonomous communities are better managed than the one, owned by private- or government bodies.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ostrom identified and articulated in her Nobel-winning research \u201cEight Principles for Managing the Commons\u201d, based on case studies like\u00a0T\u00f6rbel.<\/p>\n

Eight Principles for Managing the\u00a0Commons<\/h4>\n

Clearly defined boundaries<\/strong>: The resource and its users must have clear limits so everyone knows who has access and responsibility.\u200bRules fit local context<\/strong>: Use rules that match local needs and conditions, instead of one-size-fits-all policies.\u200bParticipatory decision-making<\/strong>: Those affected by rules should participate in creating and modifying them for better compliance and legitimacy-Monitoring<\/strong>: There must be ways for the community to monitor use and ensure rules are followed, fostering accountability.\u200bGraduated sanctions<\/strong>: Violators face sanctions that start mild and escalate if needed, avoiding resentment and encouraging trust\u200bAccessible conflict resolution<\/strong>: Simple, affordable channels for resolving disputes help keep governance fair and effective.\u200bMinimal recognition of rights to self-organize<\/strong>: The group must have the autonomy to set its own rules, respected by outside authorities.\u200bMultiple layers of organization (nested enterprises)<\/strong>: For larger resources, governance needs to be coordinated at multiple scales\u200a\u2014\u200alocal, regional, and\u00a0beyond<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

The fieldwork and research findings of Robert Mc Netting in the early seventies and Elinor Ostrom in the nineties of the last century where building up a globally influential framework for governing and sharing shared resources.<\/p>\n

They are often cited as a blueprint for successful DAO governance, we will look in a upcoming article how the principles and model are applied to modern DAO governance models.<\/p>\n

Usage of AI in the\u00a0article<\/h3>\n

AI was used as a powerful assistant during researching the topic, by using the AI\u00a0Engines<\/p>\n

EURIA<\/a> \ud83c\udf31 (Ethical, Universal, Responsible, Independent, Autonomous) by Infomaniak.Google Gemini<\/a>Perplexity<\/a><\/p>\n

Are the roots of Crypto DAO\u2019s in the Swiss mountain village of T\u00f6rbel?<\/a> was originally published in Coinmonks<\/a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A time journey to the early research work in autonomous communities Introduction In order to understand better the mission and principles of Distributed Autonomous Organizations (DAO), you have to look into history. The article outlines the benefit of autonomous organizations, by using the example of commons management and some ground-breaking research studies in this area […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interesting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=104685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104685\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=104685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=104685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycryptomania.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=104685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}