26 Feb Prof Calzada published the article ‘(Libertarian) decentralised Web3 map: in search of a post-Westphalian territory’ in the EUI Global Governance Programme and ERC BlockchainGov

Summary of ‘Libertarian Decentralised Web3 Map: In Search of a Post-Westphalian Territory’

The European University Institute (EUI) Global Governance Programme recently published an article by Prof Calzada since his Fulbright Award in California in August 2022 by examining how Web3 technologies and decentralised governance initiatives challenge the traditional Westphalian state system. This work maps out libertarian projects that seek to establish governance structures beyond territorial boundaries.

Key Insights from the Study

The study highlights several emerging trends in decentralised governance, including:

• Network States & Cloud Nations: Digital-first communities attempting to create alternative governance structures.
• Decentralised Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): Entities governed through smart contracts rather than traditional hierarchies.
• Crypto-Enclaves & Special Economic Zones: Experimental locations integrating blockchain-based administrative mechanisms.
• Web3 Cities & Digital Jurisdictions: Initiatives proposing global citizenship based on voluntary association.

These projects raise fundamental questions about sovereignty, legal recognition, and democratic accountability. The study explores whether these decentralised governance models signal a shift toward a post-Westphalian reality or merely represent fragmented sovereignty experiments with uncertain futures.

Implications for Policy and Governance

While Web3-based governance mechanisms challenge existing nation-state models, they also introduce risks such as regulatory ambiguity and potential governance voids. The EUI research provides a critical foundation for understanding these developments and informing policy discussions on digital sovereignty.

There are related publications about Algorithmic Nations by Prof Calzada as follows:

1. Calzada, I. (2026, forthcoming) The Illusion of the Web3 Decentralization. In Visvizi. A. et al. Research & Innovation Forum 2025. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
2. Calzada, I. (2024), The Illusion of the Web3 Decentralization: Distributing Power or Creating a New Tech-Savvy Elite? SSRN: DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.5008910
3. Calzada, I. (2024), Decentralized Web3 Reshaping Internet Governance: Towards the Emergence of New Forms of Nation-Statehood? Future Internet, 16(10), 361. DOI: 10.3390/fi16100361.
4. Calzada, I. (2024), (Libertarian) Decentralized Web3 Map: In Search of a Post-Westphalian Territory. SSRN. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4937294.
5. Calzada, I. (2023), Blockchain-Driven Digital Nomadism in the Basque e-Diaspora. Globalizations, 21(5), 777-802. DOI:10.1080/14747731.2023.2271216.
6. Calzada, I. (2023), Disruptive Technologies for e-Diasporas: Blockchain, DAOs, Data Cooperatives, Metaverse, and ChatGPT. Futures, 154(C), 103258. DOI:10.1016/j.futures.2023.103258.
7. Masso, A., Kasapoglu, T., Tammpuu, P. & Calzada, I. (2024) Datafied Control and Selection of Digital Identity: Estonian e-Residency as ‘Citizenship by Connection’. Zenodo DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.12666718; SSRN DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4887026.
8. Calzada, I. (2022), Democracia Postpandémica Tecnopolítica: Naciones Algorítmicas, Soberanía del Dato, Derechos Digitales, y Co-operativas de Dato. En Filibi, I., Escacedo, L. & Zabalo, J. (Ed) Formas y Escalas Emergentes de las Democracias Contemporáneas. Miradas desde la Sociedad Vasca. Dykinson: Madrid. pp. 123-146. ISBN: 978-84-1122-443-7. DOI:10.14679/13536.
9. Calzada, I. (2022), Datafikazio Estrategia Emantzipatzaileak. Escacedo, L., Zabalo, J. & Filibi, I. (Ed) Demokraziaren Sakontzea eta Parte Hartzea, Hainbat Eskalatan. Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea: Leioa. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.10106.77761/2. ISBN: 978-84-1319-550-6.
10. Calzada, I. (2022), Postpandemic Technopolitical Democracy: Algorithmic Nations, Data Sovereignty, Digital Rights, and Data Cooperatives. In Zabalo, J., Filibi, I., & Escacedo, L. (Ed) Made-to-Measure Future(s) for Democracy? Views from the Basque Atalaia. Cham: Springer. ISBN: 978-3-031-08607-6. Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08608-3. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-08608-3_6. pp. 97-117.
11. Calzada, I. (2018), Algorithmic Nations: Seeing Like a City-Regional and Techno-Political Conceptual Assemblage. Regional Studies, Regional Science 5(1): 267-289. DOI: 10.1080/21681376.2018.1507754.
12. Calzada, I. (2018), Algorithmic Nations: Towards the Techno-Political (Basque) City-Region. Territories: A Trans-Cultural Journal of Regional Studies, 1(1). Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7dn812kx. Special Issue: ‘Regions Beyond their Spatiality: Political, Social and Urban Approaches to Post-National Scenarios’. DOI: 10.5070/T21141508.