The cascade
How model power grows
See how an optional tool can become an unavoidable system of institutional authority.
Field of inquiry
What this work encompasses
- Proxy
- Default
- Dependence
- Mandate
Proxy
A model advises a person or institution while accountable judgment formally remains elsewhere.
Default
The recommendation becomes the ordinary decision. Departures require additional time, explanation, authority, or risk.
Dependence
People and institutions reorganize around the model. Skills atrophy, alternatives disappear, and the costs of independent judgment rise.
Mandate
What began as assistance becomes the route through which access, opportunity, permission, or institutional legitimacy is distributed.