Fairness in Blockchain Protocols: A Survey of Definitions, Guarantees, and Limits

PhD Qualifying Examination


Title: "Fairness in Blockchain Protocols: A Survey of Definitions, Guarantees, 
and Limits"

by

Mr. Jonas BALLWEG


Abstract:

Blockchain fairness names many distinct allocation guarantees rather than a 
single ledger property. This survey develops a resource-based taxonomy 
covering selection, chain representation, rewards and penalties, propagation, 
transaction inclusion and ordering, fair exchange, data availability, and 
governance. For each notion, it identifies the claimant, entitlement, 
allocation, model, adversary, evidence, slack, and error assumptions, and 
highlights the non-implications and impossibility frontiers that block 
automatic composition.


Date:                   Wednesday, 3 June 2026

Time:                   3:00pm - 5:00pm

Venue:                  Room 3494
                        Lifts 25/26

Committee Members:      Dr. Dimitris Papadopoulos (Supervisor)
                        Dr. Amir Goharshady (Co-supervisor, Oxford)
                        Dr. Wei Wang (Chairperson)
                        Prof. Cunsheng Ding