The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mapping Interdisciplinarity in Research on Decentralized Autonomous Organizations

2025-02-14

AI Summary

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) suffer from fragmented interdisciplinary knowledge and insufficient theoretical integration in existing research. Method: This study pioneers a systematic integration of citation network analysis, LDA topic modeling, and academic journal outlet analysis to map DAOs’ interdisciplinary maturity. Contribution/Results: Despite rapid growth in DAO-related publications, the literature remains predominantly application-oriented, with sparse interfield citations and weak theoretical dialogue—particularly between business/economics and computer science. To address this, we propose an “Organization–Technology Alignment” evaluation framework. This framework offers both a methodological foundation and empirical evidence for bridging the theory–practice gap and establishing a unified analytical paradigm that coherently integrates governance logic with technical architecture.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Other Foundations of Data Mining & Knowledge Management
• Search and Optimization: Evaluation and Analysis

Application Category

• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Interdisciplinary science discovery with web data mining
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems
• Security and Privacy: Blockchains and distributed ledgers

Abstract

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) are attracting interdisciplinary interest, particularly in business, economics, and computer science. However, much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, where each observer perceives only a fragment of the whole, DAO research remains fragmented across disciplines, limiting a comprehensive understanding of their potential. This paper assesses the maturity of interdisciplinary research on DAOs by analyzing knowledge flows between Business&Economics and Computer Science through citation network analysis, topic modelling, and outlet analysis. Our findings reveal that while DAOs serve as a vibrant topic of interdisciplinary discourse, current research remains predominantly applied and case-driven, with limited theoretical integration. Strengthening the alignment between organizational and technical insights is crucial for advancing DAO research and fostering a more cohesive interdisciplinary framework.

Problem

• Mapping interdisciplinary research on DAOs.
• Assessing maturity of DAO research across disciplines.
• Strengthening alignment between organizational and technical insights.

Innovation

• citation network analysis
• topic modelling
• outlet analysis