Ising Model (Regulatory Phase Transition)
Idea
A physics analogy for regulatory capture: historically, government regulation acted like thermal noise that kept corporations from locking into monopolistic alignment, but a policy shift flipped the field — the state now aligns with corporate interests instead of disrupting them. Once that noise is eliminated, the system snaps into an ordered, locked state that, per the model, cannot spontaneously disorder again.
The engine's definition — word for word
Statistical mechanics applied to regulatory capture. Corporate spins (strategic objectives) + coupling constants (B2B dependencies like Meta needing NVIDIA GPUs) + external field (federal regulation). Historically, regulation = thermal noise preventing monopolistic alignment. PCAST flipped the field polarity — state now ALIGNS with corporate coupling. Conflict-of-interest waivers = T→0. Irreversible phase transition to ferromagnetic (ordered) state. The system cannot spontaneously disorder once the thermal noise is eliminated.
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