Research Programme
An overview of the Acacia Initiative's research programme — approach, priorities, and methods.
The Core Argument
The Acacia Initiative's research programme is designed to build the evidence base for trust infrastructure. It is practical, interdisciplinary, and open.
The Judgment Economy is emerging. We need to understand it — and we need to build the infrastructure to make it work. This requires research.
Our research programme is designed to generate the evidence we need. It is guided by three principles: practical relevance, interdisciplinary rigour, and open access.
This is the research programme of the Acacia Initiative.
Research Principles
The principles that guide our research.
Practical relevance
Our research is designed to be useful. It addresses real problems and generates actionable insights.
Interdisciplinary rigour
The Judgment Economy spans economics, psychology, sociology, technology, and governance. Our research draws on all of these disciplines.
Open access
Our research is openly accessible. We share our findings, our data, and our methods — so that others can build on our work.
Collaborative
We work with partners across sectors and disciplines. We believe that the best research is done together.
The Acacia perspective:
These principles are not just ideals. They are practical requirements. Research that is not relevant, rigorous, or open cannot support the building of trust infrastructure.
Research Priorities
The questions we are focusing on.
How does judgment scale?
We are researching how judgment can be supported and improved at scale — across organisations, sectors, and systems.
What is the optimal role of AI?
We are researching how AI and humans should work together — and what the limits of automation should be.
How do we measure judgment?
We are developing frameworks for measuring judgment, trust, and context — so that we can evaluate and improve them.
What are the governance requirements?
We are researching how trust infrastructure should be governed — to ensure accountability, legitimacy, and sustainability.
Key insight:
These priorities are not fixed. They evolve as we learn more and as the environment changes. Our research programme is adaptive.
Research Methods
How we conduct our research.
Literature review
We review existing research across disciplines. This helps us understand what is already known — and where the gaps are.
Case studies
We study real-world examples of trust infrastructure. This helps us understand what works — and what doesn't.
Pilot programmes
We run pilot programmes to test our ideas in the real world. This generates evidence and helps us refine our approach.
Collaborative inquiry
We work with partners to co-design and co-produce research. This ensures that our research is relevant and grounded in practice.
The Acacia perspective:
Our research methods are designed to be practical and collaborative. We do not just study trust infrastructure — we help build it.
Research Outputs
What we produce.
Research notes
Short, accessible summaries of research findings. Designed for practitioners, not just academics.
Case notes
Detailed case studies of trust infrastructure in practice. They show what works, what doesn't, and why.
Working papers
Longer, more detailed research papers. Designed for researchers and practitioners who want to go deeper.
Toolkits and frameworks
Practical toolkits that translate research into action. Designed for people who are building trust infrastructure.
Key insight:
Our research outputs are designed to be used. They are not just for reading — they are for action.
Reading path: