Policy Lab Research Hub
Whereas the Academic Fellowship Program is designed for large-scale projects led by academics, the Policy Lab's Research Hub is designed to uncover and tackle discrete policy questions relevant to the future of the crypto ecosystem. We view this research (and mechanism) as essential to help policy makers address the novel issues raised by crypto while fostering innovation in the United States. In line with Paradigm's values, the program is open to the public and designed to be highly collaborative.
Research Topics
The Policy Lab will occasionally publish research topics on policy issues that we are interested in exploring and believe are impactful to the broader ecosystem. For example, if you had to convince a policymaker that crypto was a force for good — or that the FUD they heard was wrong or out of context — how would you do it? Or, if you could draft the best legislative language relevant to crypto, what would it look like and why?
These topics are meant to be narrow in scope and should not take months or years of research. They cover a wide array of topics centered around crypto and frontier technology policy.
Currently, we are interested in the following research areas:
TradFi costs
- Estimate how much money has been stolen (or, put differently, what cost has been borne by consumers) as a result of hacks or operational incidents involving traditional finance since 2009 (e.g., Bank of Bangladesh heist, Capital One breach, etc.). Please detail your methodology.
- Estimate the amount of energy consumed by the traditional finance ecosystem (incl., operating bank branches, travel, etc). Please detail your methodology.
Danger of the policy status quo in the US
- Estimate the number of crypto jobs (technical and nontechnical) that have left each US state. Please detail your methodology.
- Estimate the economic impact (beyond jobs) of developers and projects going offshore. Please detail your methodology.
Crypto technical definitions
- Provide, and defend, the best technical definitions relevant to crypto (e.g., validator, MEV, etc.) to be included in legislation or regulations.
In addition, to fuel the collaborative nature of our research, the Policy Lab will also accept user submissions for additional research questions and topics not listed above. Upon review by the Policy Lab, the proposals will be considered for becoming part of our research agenda and eligible for grant funding.
Grants
Each Research Topic is eligible for grant funding. Persons interested in working on a particular topic should apply for funding to the Lab by sending an email to policylab@paradigm.xyz containing a description of your project (including research question, methodology, and timeline) and the amount of funding you require.
Please note: all grants are capped at $5,000.