DAO Governance Index (DGI)
The ecosystem benchmark for DAO governance health
What is the DGI?
The DAO Governance Index (DGI) is an ecosystem-wide benchmark that aggregates Governance Vitality Scores (GVS) across all qualifying DAOs. It answers the question: “Is this DAO's governance health good or bad compared to the ecosystem?”
Think of it as: GVS = Individual DAO Score. DGI = The Market Average.
Like the S&P 500 provides a benchmark for stock market performance, the DGI provides a benchmark for DAO governance health — giving context to individual scores.
How the DGI is Calculated
The DGI uses an equal-weighted average of all qualifying DAOs' GVS scores:
Every qualifying DAO contributes equally to the index. This aligns with our core principle: governance health matters regardless of treasury size.
Why Equal-Weighted?
- Philosophically consistent — no DAO dominates the benchmark
- No dependency on external treasury or market cap data
- Simple, transparent, and defensible
- Avoids circular bias (wealthy DAOs don't get more weight AND score higher)
The DGI Index Family
The DGI is not a single number — it's a family of 9 indices:
Composite Index
DGI Composite — Average GVS across all qualifying DAOs. The headline number.
Category Indices
Component Indices
Inclusion Criteria
Not every tracked DAO enters the DGI. Quality standards ensure the benchmark is meaningful:
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Confidence Level | ≥ Medium |
| Data Freshness | GVS calculated within last 14 days |
| Universe Membership | Manually curated by ChainSights |
| Opt-Out | Must not be opted out of rankings |
Update Cadence
The DGI is calculated daily, immediately after individual GVS scores are recalculated. This ensures the benchmark always reflects the latest governance data.
The DGI universe is reviewed and rebalanced manually as needed. DAOs that no longer meet inclusion criteria may be placed on a grace period before exclusion.
What the DGI is NOT
- ⚠Not a financial index. We don't track token prices or market caps. No investment advice.
- ⚠Not a rating agency. We measure governance health with transparent methodology, not assign credit ratings.
- ⚠Not a ranking. The DGI is a benchmark average, not a competition. The leaderboard is the competition part.
- ⚠Not a substitute for GVS. GVS measures individual DAOs. DGI provides ecosystem context for GVS.
For details on how individual GVS scores are calculated, see the GVS Methodology.
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