Institutions under composition

Thesis

The main subject of this thesis is how compositionality, which appears everywhere in computer science and mathematics, can be applied to the design of social institutions such as contracts, courts, and digital platforms. Our analysis draws on category theory, especially the theory of open games. But wherever possible, we have not only specified theories but attempted to test those theories in practice. Wherever possible, we have gone beyond toy examples to produce live examples and concrete tools that can make a difference to the people that use them. The essential thing is not any particular representation of institution: the particular representation will vary depending on the application, as will the particular model of composition. The essential things are the patterns in which people interact.

Authors: Tan, JZ; Abramsky, S

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-avr9ooyyr
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: DAOs; applied category theory; computational law; institutional economics; institution
• Subjects: Computational social science