# perverse incentive (trap)

*Ordinarily means:* a reward that encourages staying in a bad situation

a benefit that pays for staying beyond the wall of a parameter, causing the parameter to drift further into the undesirable side because no maintenance is applied to bring it back inside its window

- Computed level: L19 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: emergence

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [wall](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wall.range-end), [parameter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-parameter.condition), [drift](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drift.aimless), [benefits](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-benefits.advantage), [keep](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-keep.maintenance)

**Through:** the benefit attaches to the side of the parameter beyond the wall, so the drift pushes the parameter farther past the wall and the lack of maintenance leaves it there

**Novel properties:**
- benefit for staying

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-perverse-incentive.trap*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-perverse-incentive.trap.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*