The Field
Why institutions fail over time—and what architecture makes them persist
A New Economic Architecture
Why traditional economics optimises for extraction—and what a regenerative alternative looks like.
The Problem
Institutions fail over time not because they lack purpose, capital, or governance—but because purpose is not represented in a way that can govern behaviour once authority, capital, or execution moves.
This isn't a moral failing. It's an architectural one.
How It Shows Up
The same structural failure manifests differently across domains—but the root cause is identical.
Mission Drift
Purpose dilutes as capital cycles. Each funding round nudges the institution further from its original intent.
Impact Washing
Claims without structural backing. Sustainability reports that don't survive leadership change.
AI Alignment Ceiling
Models can't access intent—only its downstream traces. Alignment hits a ceiling without semantic infrastructure.
Institutional Amnesia
Memory leaves with leadership. When the founder departs, the purpose walks out the door.
Enforcement Dependence
Governance only works through policing. Without constant oversight, behaviour reverts.
Container Capture
Form overrides intent over time. The org chart, the contract, the system—they become the purpose.
The Architectural Insight
These failures share a common structure: purpose is embedded inside containers (contracts, org charts, systems, models) that cannot carry it across time, scale, or delegation.
The solution isn't better intentions or stronger enforcement. It's treating intent as a first-class object.
First-class intent is:
Explicit
Not implied or inferred
Inspectable
Can be examined at any point
Versioned
Changes are tracked
Provenance-linked
Origin and authority are clear
Independent
Survives container motion
Not because it involves language—but because it carries meaning.
Three Domains, One Substrate
The same architectural insight applies across different fields.
Semantic Infrastructure
Explicit representation of intent as first-class objects
Capital Systems
How capital can persist across cycles without losing its purpose.
Key papers:
AI & Governance
Why alignment hits a ceiling without semantic infrastructure.
Key papers:
Institutional Design
How institutions can preserve intent across time and leadership.
Key papers:
Same substrate. Different domains. Independent papers.
What We're Not Saying
We are not proposing:
We identified a missing architectural layer and traced it across domains. The papers are tools. Use them where they help. Ignore them where they don't.
If the work is right, it should feel inevitable—not claimed.
Explore the Work
46 working papers, interactive tools, and plain-language explainers.
Read the Manifesto