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Campbell’s law

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    Incentive Design Entry #0388

    Why punishing failure removes reporting, not failure

    Penalties attach to the report, not to the event. Reports are voluntary and events are not, so the measurable quantity falls while the underlying one does not.

    Novice
    The hidden part #0388

    A penalty on reports does not reduce the events. It reduces the only record that the events occurred.

    Open file
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    Progress Systems Entry #0640

    Why counting the days changes the behaviour being counted

    Putting a running tally on an activity does not just measure it — it alters it, raising the cost of stopping and often draining the original enjoyment.

    Master
    The hidden part #0640

    A tally is never a neutral witness. Count an activity and you change it — raising the price of quitting and draining the joy that began it.

    Open file
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    Competition Design Entry #0660

    The reason ranking raises output and lowers honesty

    A public ranking increases output but also the temptation to game, misreport, or cut corners, because the rank rewards the number, not the process.

    Master
    The hidden part #0660

    A ranking rewards the number, not the reality. When the two diverge, the number wins — and the reality is hidden by the improvement.

    Open file