| _version_ | 1866901101819723776 |
|---|---|
| author | Espeleta, Kyle |
| author_facet | Espeleta, Kyle |
| contents | <div> <h2>Description</h2> <p>Why do institutions get busy but stuck? Courts process thousands of cases while backlogs grow. Permit offices issue approvals while wait times lengthen. Claims processors close files while disputes recur.</p> <p>This paper argues the pattern reflects a binding constraint: human checking capacity is finite. When decisions must be defensible and contestable, there’s a hard limit on how fast work can durably close—not just appear closed, but stay closed.</p> <p>The <strong>Obligation Closure Constraint (OCC)</strong> formalizes this limit. At any boundary requiring accountable sign-off under credible challenge, durable settlement cannot exceed checking capacity divided by checking effort per case. Exceed it, and the deficit must surface somewhere: backlogs, rework, displacement onto clients, or degraded standards.</p> <p>Three empirical tests validate the framework:</p> <p>· DC FOIA requests: DCR 0.88 led to backlog growth from 1 to 3,360 cases<br>· Philadelphia regulatory appeals: DCR 0.92 led to backlog growth from 202 to 1,983 cases<br>· Vancouver building permits: DCR 1.04 led to the backlog being cleared to zero</p> <p>Same methodology. Different outcomes. Predictions matched reality.</p> </div> <p>Keywords<br>institutional capacity, durable settlement, queue dynamics, verification constraint, backlog analysis, accountability, falsification, OCC</p> <p>Related Identifiers<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18073749">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18073749</a> (DC FOIA deployment)<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18076572">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18076572 </a>(Philadelphia deployment)<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077993">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077993</a> (Vancouver deployment)<br>License<br>CC BY 4.0</p> |
| format | Recurso digital |
| id | zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_18080709 |
| institution | Zenodo |
| language | |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | Zenodo |
| record_format | zenodo |
| spellingShingle | The Settlement Constraint: Why Institutions Fail at Scale Espeleta, Kyle <div> <h2>Description</h2> <p>Why do institutions get busy but stuck? Courts process thousands of cases while backlogs grow. Permit offices issue approvals while wait times lengthen. Claims processors close files while disputes recur.</p> <p>This paper argues the pattern reflects a binding constraint: human checking capacity is finite. When decisions must be defensible and contestable, there’s a hard limit on how fast work can durably close—not just appear closed, but stay closed.</p> <p>The <strong>Obligation Closure Constraint (OCC)</strong> formalizes this limit. At any boundary requiring accountable sign-off under credible challenge, durable settlement cannot exceed checking capacity divided by checking effort per case. Exceed it, and the deficit must surface somewhere: backlogs, rework, displacement onto clients, or degraded standards.</p> <p>Three empirical tests validate the framework:</p> <p>· DC FOIA requests: DCR 0.88 led to backlog growth from 1 to 3,360 cases<br>· Philadelphia regulatory appeals: DCR 0.92 led to backlog growth from 202 to 1,983 cases<br>· Vancouver building permits: DCR 1.04 led to the backlog being cleared to zero</p> <p>Same methodology. Different outcomes. Predictions matched reality.</p> </div> <p>Keywords<br>institutional capacity, durable settlement, queue dynamics, verification constraint, backlog analysis, accountability, falsification, OCC</p> <p>Related Identifiers<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18073749">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18073749</a> (DC FOIA deployment)<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18076572">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18076572 </a>(Philadelphia deployment)<br>IsSupplementedBy: <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077993">https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18077993</a> (Vancouver deployment)<br>License<br>CC BY 4.0</p> |
| title | The Settlement Constraint: Why Institutions Fail at Scale |
| url | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18080709 |