# Fund Futarchy applications research — Dr. Robin Hanson, George Mason University

MetaDAO's proposal "Fund Futarchy applications research — Dr. Robin Hanson, George Mason University" passed on 2026-03-23 by 11.51%. The approved TWAP was $3.37 against $3.11 rejected, with a -3% threshold. $86.61K traded across 1.6K trades by 13 traders.

A MetaDAO governance proposal decided by a futarchy decision market, as analysed on 01Resolved. Data as of 2026-10-25 12:10 UTC.

- [Proposal page](https://www.01resolved.com/metadao/proposals/Dt6QxTtaPz87oEK4m95ztP36wZCXA9LGLrJf1sDYAwxi): charts, comparables, and every trade.
- [MetaDAO summary](https://www.01resolved.com/ai/projects/metadao.md) and [all proposals](https://www.01resolved.com/metadao/proposals).

## Outcome

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Status | Resolved |
| Result | Approved |
| Start (UTC) | 2026-03-20 20:42 |
| End (UTC) | 2026-03-23 20:42 |
| TWAP window starts (UTC) | 2026-03-21 20:42 |
| Staked | 100% |
| Pass threshold | -3% |
| Passed by | 11.51% |
| Approved TWAP | $3.37 |
| Rejected TWAP | $3.11 |

The proposal passes when the approved (pass) TWAP beats the rejected (fail) TWAP by more than the threshold. A live proposal's standing can still change.

## Market overview

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Pass pool TVL | $23.86K |
| Fail pool TVL | $23.57K |
| Net volume tilt (toward pass) | +27.56% |
| Net trader tilt (toward pass) | +29.41% |
| Total trades | 1.6K |
| Total volume | $86.61K |

## Outcome strength

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Traders, pass-aligned | 64.71% (11) |
| Traders, fail-aligned | 35.29% (6) |
| Volume, pass-aligned | 63.78% ($55.24K) |
| Volume, fail-aligned | 36.22% ($31.37K) |
| Late conviction | Medium |

Net pass-aligned volume accumulated before the TWAP window: +$9.54K; during it: +$14.32K.

Pass-aligned means buying pass or selling fail; fail-aligned is the reverse. Strong participation alone does not show that a decision was economically correct.

## Trade activity

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Unique traders | 13 |
| Repeat traders (across MetaDAO decision markets) | 23.07% |
| Largest single trade | $15.76K (Fail-sell) |
| Average trade value | $53.83 |

## Proposal text

As submitted by the proposer; not written or verified by 01Resolved.

Author: Proph3t and Kollan

Category: Operations Direct Action

Proposed period: 6 Months: April – September 2026 (tentative on final grant agreement)

Budget: $80,007 USDC

---

##### Summary

This proposal requests $80,007 USDC from the MetaDAO treasury to fund a six-month academic research engagement at George Mason University. Led by Dr. Robin Hanson — the economist who invented futarchy — this project will produce the first rigorous experimental evidence on the information-aggregation efficiency of decision-market governance, directly validating or challenging the theoretical basis on which MetaDAO operates. 

A positive market outcome will authorize treasury disbursement and delegate authority to the MetaDAO director to execute a contract with GMU to initiate the engagement.

How and why this benefits MetaDAO and META token holders

* Legitimacy  
  * Results will anchor MetaDAO's governance claims — a differentiator vs. competing platforms  
      
* Protocol improvement  
  * Experimental data will identify potential design weaknesses in current Futarchy mechanics, enabling targeted upgrades  
      
* Ecosystem growth  
  * Published findings will attract and support institutional adopters and projects evaluating the Futarchy Management tool on Solana  
    

##### Scope of work

The research team will design and run controlled experiments with 500 student participants (500@$50 each, $25,000 total) in structured decision-making scenarios. All protocols will undergo Institutional Review Board (IRB) review. Dr. Daniel Houser (experimental economics) will participate as co-investigator. A graduate research assistant will handle programming, recruitment, data collection, and analysis across the full academic year and summer.

##### Budget Allocation

| Item | Amount (USDC) |
| :---- | ----: |
| Dr. Robin Hanson — 2 months summer salary | \~$30,000 |
| Dr. Daniel Houser — Co-investigator (0.85% AY \+ summer) | \~$6,000 |
| Graduate research assistant — full AY \+ summer | \~$19,007 |
| Participant payments (500 @ $50) | $25,000 |
| Total | $80,007 |

##### Risks and Mitigations

The primary risk is that experimental results challenge some assumptions underlying futarchy — this is a feature, not a bug. Regardless, MetaDAO benefits from honest/accurate data either way. 

A secondary risk is IRB or recruitment delays; the GRA timeline includes buffer for both. 

We propose funds to be disbursed in two payments (subject to the final grant agreement): 50% on agreement execution, 50% upon delivery of the interim report, giving the DAO a natural checkpoint.

##### Onchain action

Upon passing the program will authorize a treasury transfer of $80,007 USDC. In the event that George Mason University is unable to accept cryptocurrency payments, the MetaDAO servicing entity is authorized to convert the approved USDC to USD and execute a cash payment to GMU in the full amount of $80,007, with any conversion or transfer fees borne by the MetaDAO treasury. No further governance action required.

##### Supporting Documentation

[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MBStw8sAwjn7_cdoufQ-ooJjt4_nKY4o?usp=drive_link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MBStw8sAwjn7_cdoufQ-ooJjt4_nKY4o?usp=drive_link)

## Citing this data

Source: 01Resolved, "Fund Futarchy applications research — Dr. Robin Hanson, George Mason University" (MetaDAO decision market), data as of 2026-10-25 12:10 UTC. https://www.01resolved.com/metadao/proposals/Dt6QxTtaPz87oEK4m95ztP36wZCXA9LGLrJf1sDYAwxi.