In this episode of Governance Futures, hosts Jamilya and Eugene speak with Dr. Joachim Schwerin.
Joachim Schwerin is PhD economist, blockchain expert and privacy activist with 35 years of experience in academia, the public sector and metapolitical networks. He is also Principal Economist in the unit in charge of Responsible Business Conduct within the Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission, where his current focus lies on developing positive framework conditions for DAOs and Web3. In the financial domain, he contributed to the EU’s Digital Finance Strategy, including the MiCA Regulation, and the preparatory work for the Digital Euro.
The conversation moves from the historical roots of centralization to the potential of blockchain for rebuilding community-driven governance. Dr. Schwerin reflects on the balance between individual resilience and systemic change, the dangers of policy inertia, and how the digital domain allows people to preserve culture, identity, and solidarity in uncertain times.
The episode closes with his message of hope: the future of governance lies in self-organized communities that act, not just talk.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Cold Start
00:57 – Hosts Jamilya and Eugene introduce Dr. Joachim Schwerin
02:19 – Solidarity, privacy, and resilience — the themes of the episode
04:20 – How Dr. Schwerin entered blockchain and governance
06:14 – From self-organizing communities to centralized control
08:35 – Blockchain as a societal revolution and tool for liberation
10:56 – Politics, crypto, and the parallels between Web3 and global governance
12:36 – Prussia, identity, and the digital domain as a safe harbor
16:59 – Micronations, Liberland, and the history of experimental governance
19:12 – The rise of digital states and the competition of ideas
21:31 – Privacy and industrial competitiveness: the hidden connection
23:09 – Privacy as a foundation for self-organization and innovation
25:22 – How states misuse privacy narratives for control
27:39 – Why even corporations and governments rely on privacy tech
29:14 – Everyday privacy: practical ways to protect yourself
31:39 – What it means to be a “privacy activist” in daily life
34:02 – Trust, DAOs, and why real governance starts offline
36:22 – Generational change and the slow death of legacy systems
38:42 – Banks, surveillance, and standing your ground
41:17 – Activism through example: living privacy by doing
43:06 – The inner life of “the system” and finding allies in institutions
45:27 – Serving the nation vs. serving power: lessons from Prussian ethics
47:28 – The collapse of old systems and seeds of renewal
49:40 – Hope amid surveillance: resilience in restrictive environments
51:41 – Finding strength in solidarity and the legacy of values
56:05 – What triggers change: crisis, policy, and collective adaptation
58:28 – How every crisis pushes people toward decentralization
01:02:17 – Designing the next governance model: trade-offs and trust
01:04:37 – One person, one vote? Rethinking cooperative governance
01:06:57 – Generational shifts, innovation, and the inevitability of change
01:09:23 – The fear of death, the persistence of power, and legacy systems
01:12:00 – Overcoming division and starting change with one person
01:12:37 – Rapid-fire quiz: philosophy, integrity, and governance lessons
01:14:01 – Pitfalls of delay and the courage to act
01:15:31 – The future of governance: self-organized communities
01:16:10 – Closing thanks and outro