# DAO Research Trends: Reflections and Learnings from the First European DAO Workshop (DAWO)
## 4 Assessing the Value of DAOs  
The emergence of DAOs has introduced transformative potential and significant challenges within various sectors, including the creative and cultural industries [40], cyber-physical systems (CPS) [41], and blockchain startups [42]. This Section integrates key insights from recent research on DAOs' impact and potential on value creation, while highlighting critical areas for future exploration. The research by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [43] emphasizes that in the context of creative and cultural industries, DAOs not only offer a promising solution to address the precarious employment conditions faced by creative professionals but also, they have the potential to promote economic democracy and mitigate the issues of centralized control that are prevalent in traditional platforms. Their advocacy for value-sensitive design approaches suggests that aligning DAO design with the values of creative communities could enhance fairness and inclusivity. However, open research questions persist regarding how DAOs can be effectively designed to meet the specific needs of creative communities, which economic models best support fair compensation, and how DAOs can mitigate the precarious nature of work in traditional platforms. Additionally, understanding how DAOs can foster meaningful community engagement and ensure significant participation in governance and decision-making remains an important area for further study. Similarly, in the realm of cyber-physical systems (CPS), [PERSON] et al. [44] explore the challenges of implementing decentralized governance where physical processes intersect with digital control systems. Their research highlights the complexities of integrating blockchain technology with CPS, particularly regarding real-time data processing, autonomous decision-making, and the alignment with legal and regulatory frameworks. Future research should address how to develop governance models that can adapt to the dynamic requirements of CPS, improve resilience and reliability, and ensure effective decentralized identity management and access control. Additionally, ethical considerations concerning the autonomy and accountability of AI-driven CPS require further exploration, especially as these systems become integral to critical infrastructure and public services. Key questions include identifying the most effective decentralized governance frameworks for managing scalability, security, and real-time processing in CPS. [PERSON] [45] extends the potential of DAOs into the realm of global digital governance, proposing a grassroots architecture aimed at replacing centralized digital platforms with a decentralized global democracy. The proposed architecture includes a blocklace-based protocol stack that supports grassroots platforms, enabling local communities to form digital economies and exercise sovereign democratic governance. According to [PERSON] [45] 'blocklace' is a generalization of the blockchain, designed as a partially-ordered data structure where each block can have multiple signed hash pointers to preceding blocks, unlike the linear and sequential nature of a traditional blockchain. The study concludes that this architecture offers a scalable foundation for a global digital democracy, which could significantly alter the current digital landscape dominated by centralized platforms. Future research should explore the practical implementation of this architecture, assess its scalability, and investigate its impact on global digital governance. In the startup ecosystem, [PERSON] [46] examines the trend of startups transitioning to DAOs, revealing motivations driven by financial and stewardship objectives. Startups view DAO structures as a way to improve ownership and governance while preserving existing rights, thereby balancing innovation with control. This transition is influenced by internal goals and external factors, such as market conditions, legal frameworks, and social norms.