Accelerate our research output and advance the spread of positive-sum coordination mechanisms!

Mechanism Institute is a think tank that advances building blocks for digital-age institutions. We bring together builders and researchers to study, develop, simulate, and deploy coordination mechanisms that prioritize people and positive-sum outcomes.

The Library

Our current centerpiece is the Mechanism Library, a compendium of over 130 mechanism design patterns and 300+ implementation examples. We're actively working to add detailed write-ups for each entry that describe its background, advantages, drawbacks, design considerations, and in-depth case-studies that show how the mechanism has been used in practice.

New Research

This library is just the beginning. We've already begun to introduce a range of tools and resources for navigating the vast landscape of mechanism design possibilities. Here is some recent progress on this front:

• We released the Mechanism Impact Measurement tool, a forkable workbook to model ROI of mechanisms, including cost of capital & demand forecasting.
• We released an early prototype of the Mechanism Design Canvas, a visual template for designing systems in a way that ensures shared understanding of goals and system architecture.
• We released early designs for two new cryptoeconomic primitives:
  • Slashing Engine with Gitcoin to help incentivize sybil detection
  • Smart Treaties with Zuzalu to help networked communities scale
• We have given eight Mechanism Seminars that provide practical strategies and tools for designing better mechanisms: Paris, MetaGov, dOrg, Berlin Ethereum Meetup, Metafest x2, Commons Hub Austria, Bonding Curve Research Group.