Web3 and Cryptoeconomics: New Economic Fundamentals with Alex Tabarrok

Alex Tabarrok, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, joins hosts Alaka Halder and Wes Chow to discuss cryptoeconomics – the combination of cryptography and economics – which provides a lens into how web3 is opening up fundamentally new ways of trading, cooperating, and communicating

This will be an exciting, accessible conversation on the foundations and applications of cryptoeconomics. No economics PhDs required! We will discuss:

1. What is cryptoeconomics? How has it emerged and evolved over the past decade? Why should we learn about it?
2. In the crypto world, how do economic assets and transactions work? For example, how should we think about holding tokens? Is this similar to the currency of a country? Property? Citizenship? A slice of GDP?
3. What is decentralized finance? Does it complement or threaten traditional finance?
4. Do cryptocurrencies and decentralized finance solve the problems of traditional finance, such as bubbles, excess leverage, and bank runs?
5. Why have web3 and defi managed to evolve so quickly with little input from academics, whereas web2 was heavily influenced by academia?
6. How should authorities approach privacy and regulation in crypto markets?

Suggested Preparation

• Cryptoeconomics – a freely available chapter from Modern Principles of Economics (Tyler Cowen, Alex Tabarrok)
• Alex Tabarrok on Decentralized Finance