---
title: Nicolas Rasmont
type: entity
entity_type: person
domain: internet-finance
tags: [futarchy, mechanism-design, rationalist, critique]
---

# Nicolas Rasmont

Rationalist/EA community writer who published the most rigorous theoretical challenge to futarchy governance mechanisms as of early 2026.

## Timeline

- **2026-01-26** — Published "Futarchy is Parasitic on What It Tries to Govern" on LessWrong, arguing that conditional decision markets cannot estimate causal policy effects due to decision selection bias

## Contributions

**Decision Selection Bias Critique:** Identified structural payout mechanism failure in futarchy where traders must price welfare conditional on approval (correlation with fundamentals) rather than welfare caused by approval (causal effect). Argued this bias persists even under idealized conditions (rational traders, causal decision theory, perfect information).

**Bronze Bull Problem:** Concrete example showing how expensive wasteful projects can pass futarchy markets because approval signals economic confidence, making approve-contracts trade high despite negative causal impact.

**Bailout Problem:** Showed how beneficial stimulus can fail futarchy markets because adoption signals crisis, making rejection appear wiser than causal analysis suggests.

## Reception

Zero public comments or rebuttals as of April 2026 (3 months post-publication). No documented engagement from MetaDAO ecosystem or futarchy practitioners. Unclear whether argument is being ignored or practitioners are unaware of the critique.

## Affiliation

LessWrong community member. No known direct involvement in crypto/futarchy implementation projects.