ReadGlobe · Incentives & consequences
Why systems produce what they reward — and the perverse outcomes nobody intended.
Incentives are the rewards and punishments that drive behaviour. To predict what people will do, look not at what they…
Mental model · updated 29 May 2026
Goodhart's law states that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. Once people are rewarded…
Mental model · updated 29 May 2026
The cobra effect is when an attempted solution makes the problem worse, because the incentive it creates is gamed.…
Mental model · updated 30 Jun 2026
The tragedy of the commons is when individuals, each acting in their own rational self-interest, deplete a shared…
Mental model · updated 29 May 2026
Jevons paradox is the counter-intuitive finding that making the use of a resource more efficient often increases total…
Mental model · updated 30 Jun 2026
Written by Paulo de Vries · free to read, no sign-up