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Inclusion and Democratization Through Web3 and DeFi? Initial Evidence from the Ethereum Ecosystem

Author

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  • Lin William Cong
  • Ke Tang
  • Yanxin Wang
  • Xi Zhao

Abstract

Web3 and DeFi are widely advocated as innovations for greater financial inclusion and democratization. We assemble the most comprehensive dataset to date on the largest Web3 ecosystem and use large-scale computing to conduct an initial investigation. We describe Ethereum’s network structure, time trends, and distributions of transactions, mining, and ownership. Mining income and Ether ownership are concentrated in exchanges and a few individual nodes. Network activities evolve from peer-to-peer to user-DApps/DeFi interactions, with significantly more transactions by large players. Moreover, high percentage transaction fees, congestion-induced fluctuation of gas prices, suboptimal reserve setting, and large return volatility of tokens present particular challenges for small, poor, unsophisticated, and new nodes, not to mention that the high failure rates hurt all users. Finally, we present suggestive causal evidence that base-fee burning mechanisms (e.g., EIP-1559) and airdrop programs (e.g., OmiseGo Airdrop) facilitate inclusion through token monetary redistribution.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin William Cong & Ke Tang & Yanxin Wang & Xi Zhao, 2023. "Inclusion and Democratization Through Web3 and DeFi? Initial Evidence from the Ethereum Ecosystem," NBER Working Papers 30949, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30949
    Note: AP CF ME PR
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    Cited by:

    1. Schuler, Katrin & Nadler, Matthias & Schär, Fabian, 2023. "Contagion and loss redistribution in crypto asset markets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    2. Chemaya, Nir & Cong, Lin William & Joergensen, Emma & Liu, Dingyue & Zhang, Luyao, 2023. "Uniswap Daily Transaction Indices by Network," OSF Preprints ube2z, Center for Open Science.
    3. Lucas Amherd & Sheng-Nan Li & Claudio J. Tessone, 2023. "Centralised or Decentralised? Data Analysis of Transaction Network of Hedera Hashgraph," Papers 2311.06865, arXiv.org.
    4. Nir Chemaya & Lin William Cong & Emma Jorgensen & Dingyue Liu & Luyao Zhang, 2023. "Uniswap Daily Transaction Indices by Network," Papers 2312.02660, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • E50 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - General
    • G29 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Other
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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