Directionally, this proposal does move Uniswap governance in a good direction by incentivizing greater participation through clear, quantifiable metrics – and that kind of structure will help reduce the risk of falling short of quorum. The framework is straightforward and easy to measure, which brings predictability and accountability.
That said, the proposal is still too focused on activity volume rather than value-added participation. By rewarding delegates mainly for voting frequency, forum posts, and showing up to calls, it risks encouraging “check-the-box” behaviors instead of meaningful engagement. A few examples:
Voting participation: a lot of proposals are non-contentious and already have overwhelming consensus, so an extra vote doesn’t really shift the outcome. Discussion on these procedural votes also adds little value. Just counting votes cast doesn’t show whether a delegate actually helped the community think through hard trade-offs.
Community calls and forums: attendance is easy to track but it doesn’t capture whether delegates engaged with the content or offered thoughtful feedback. Right now, passive presence is rewarded more than genuine contribution.
Proposal authorship: rewarding authorship is at least a nod toward initiative, but it doesn’t distinguish between a low-effort proposal that squeaks through and a carefully researched one that’s strategically important. Both get treated the same, which doesn’t make sense.
Overall, the framework measures whether delegates show up, not whether they deliver value. Governance is strongest when delegates provide critical analysis, independent judgment, and well-reasoned perspectives.
A stronger version of this program would mix in some kind of qualitative assessment – whether that’s peer evaluation, a scoring of rationale quality, or another way of measuring value-add contributions – alongside the quantitative metrics. Without that balance, Cycle 4 continues rewarding performative activity while missing the delegates who actually bring insight and leadership to Uniswap DAO.