Setup
- Markets are translation layers; distortions change the meaning of the signal and the fairness of the outcome.
- Distortions can be intentional (subsidies, price caps) or hidden (shadow bans, secret boosts).
Systems view
- Altered signals -> altered behavior -> unintended spillovers; feedback can amplify or dampen inequities.
- Slow or asymmetric feedback keeps bad policies alive long after harms surface.
Social and political stakes
- Who gets cheap credit, who gets rationed housing, whose speech gets throttled.
- Distorted signals often hide the transfer of power from publics to gatekeepers.
Case directions
- Housing (rent control and zoning), food (price supports), speech (platform ranking), mobility (traffic pricing).
- Contrast intended goals vs. observed outcomes to show signal loss.
Expansion notes
- Emphasize pluralism: how to correct harms without imposing a single hierarchy of needs.
- Offer guardrails that improve signal quality rather than replace it with decree.