Glossary

• Adaptive Delegation – A governance model that adjusts delegation rules dynamically based on participation trends, DAO size, or governance needs.

• Delegate – An individual or entity entrusted with voting power from token holders to participate in DAO governance on their behalf.

• Delegation Decay – A situation where token holders delegate voting power but stop monitoring or reassigning it, leading to inactive governance representation.

• Delegation Expiry – A mechanism where delegations automatically reset after a defined period, ensuring that token holders regularly reassess their representatives.

• Delegation Pool – A structured group of delegates that collectively manage governance responsibilities, often with tiered influence based on experience and engagement.

• Delegation Threshold – The minimum number of delegated tokens required for a participant to be recognized as a voting delegate.

• Delegation Weighting – A system where different governance factors (e.g., reputation, contribution history) influence the weight of a delegate’s voting power.

• Dynamic Quorum – A governance mechanism that adjusts quorum requirements based on recent voting participation levels to prevent manipulation and ensure decision-making resilience.

• Epoch-Based Governance – A system where governance actions, delegation resets, and incentive distributions occur within predefined timeframes (epochs).

• Governance Capture – A risk where a small group of influential actors (e.g., large token holders or delegates) gain excessive control over DAO decision-making.

• Governance Fatigue – A decline in governance participation caused by excessive voting requirements, proposal overload, or unclear decision-making structures.

• Governance Oversight Committee – A group responsible for monitoring delegation programs, ensuring compliance with governance policies, and maintaining transparency in voting processes.

• Guardian Mechanism – An additional security layer in DAO governance that reviews and approves proposals before execution, preventing malicious governance attacks.

• Hybrid Governance – A governance model that combines on-chain and off-chain decision-making, balancing decentralization with efficiency.

• Incentive Misalignment – A scenario where governance rewards do not align with long-term DAO success, leading to vote buying, minimal engagement, or delegate exploitation.

• Liquid Delegation – A flexible delegation system where token holders can reassign voting power dynamically based on changing preferences or delegate performance.

• Lost Voting Power – Governance tokens that remain inactive due to token holder disengagement, delegation misallocation, or locked contract holdings.

• Meta-Governance – The ability of a DAO to influence governance in other DAOs by holding governance tokens and delegating voting power strategically.

• Multisig Governance – A governance framework where multiple signers control treasury and proposal execution to enhance security and prevent unilateral actions.

• Performance-Based Delegation – A model where delegates are evaluated and compensated based on predefined governance KPIs, such as voting participation and proposal authorship.

• Proxy Voting – A mechanism where delegates can assign their voting rights to other representatives temporarily, increasing governance flexibility.

• Redelegation Event – A periodic governance process where token holders are encouraged or required to reassign their voting power to prevent stagnation.

• Reputation-Based Governance – A system where voting power is influenced by a participant’s historical governance contributions rather than token holdings alone.

• Retroactive Compensation – A rewards system where governance contributors are compensated after their impact has been assessed, rather than receiving upfront payments.

• Staking-Backed Delegation – A delegation model where delegates must stake tokens as collateral to secure their governance position and align incentives with the DAO’s success.

• Sybil Resistance – Measures that prevent governance manipulation by ensuring that a single entity cannot control multiple identities or delegate excessive voting power.

• Tiered Delegation – A governance structure where different levels of delegation rights and incentives are assigned based on delegate performance and engagement.

• Treasury-Backed Incentives – Governance rewards that are funded directly from the DAO treasury, ensuring that compensation remains sustainable over time.

• Vote Locking – A governance mechanism where voting power is temporarily locked to ensure commitment to a proposal outcome and prevent last-minute vote manipulation.

• Voting Rationales – Public explanations provided by delegates to justify their governance decisions, increasing transparency and accountability.

• Weighted Voting – A voting model where a delegate’s influence is adjusted based on reputation, experience, or stake size rather than simple token counts.