Why Fixes Often Backfire

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Correction history

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1. 28 July 2026 · corrected by Emir Baycan

   Qualified four overstated claims: softened the focused-deterrence claim to what David Kennedy's research shows (reduced violence in several cities by focusing on the few people driving it) rather than being universally more effective; clarified that EHR/HITECH burden is one important contributor to physician burnout, not the sole cause of the overall rise; softened 'Goodhart's Law holds across nearly every accountability domain' to a wide range of domains with largely observational evidence; and reframed Easterly's Planner-versus-Searcher finding as a central argument that Planner-model aid tends to disappoint rather than a systematic empirical demonstration that Planners underperform Searchers across contexts. The article already correctly described the Delhi cobra-bounty story as apocryphal.

   Before

   The article said focused deterrence is universally more effective, that HITECH/EHRs caused the overall rise in physician burnout, that Goodhart's Law holds across nearly every accountability domain, and that Planner aid programs systematically underperform Searcher programs; it also mentioned the cobra bounty story.

   After

   Qualified the focused-deterrence, burnout, Goodhart, and Planner/Searcher claims to what the sources support, and confirmed the cobra story was already flagged as apocryphal.

   Why: The flagged claims were more universal or causal than the evidence supports; the cobra story was already handled. Corrections scope the claims rather than adding new sources.

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Full contribution timeline

1. Correction 28 July 2026

   Emir Baycan: Qualified four overstated claims: softened the focused-deterrence claim to what David Kennedy's research shows (reduced violence in several cities by focusing on the few people driving it) rather than being universally more effective; clarified that EHR/HITECH burden is one important contributor to physician burnout, not the sole cause of the overall rise; softened 'Goodhart's Law holds across nearly every accountability domain' to a wide range of domains with largely observational evidence; and reframed Easterly's Planner-versus-Searcher finding as a central argument that Planner-model aid tends to disappoint rather than a systematic empirical demonstration that Planners underperform Searchers across contexts. The article already correctly described the Delhi cobra-bounty story as apocryphal.

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