https://mereth.dev/topics/incentives/Recent content in Incentives on Mereth LabsHugoen_GBWed, 14 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0530https://mereth.dev/problems/goodharts-law/Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0530https://mereth.dev/problems/goodharts-law/<blockquote> <p>When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.</p> </blockquote> <p>The test score is a proxy for learning. Once the system rewards that proxy, with promotion, funding and status all keyed to it, every agent inside rationally optimises the proxy instead of the thing it stands for. Students cram and forget, teachers teach to the test, and the metric inflates while the competence under it stays put.</p>