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Authority Capacity

Anticipatory Constraint

Definition

Pressure that shapes institutional decisions before any external actor intervenes, through the institution's own projection of consequences. Outcomes are determined not by what actually happens but by what decision-makers believe might happen. Creates pre-emptive deference to constraint without explicit demand.

Example

A publisher declines a controversial book not because anyone complained but because editors anticipate social media backlash. The constraint operates entirely through projection—no external pressure was actually applied.

Source

ACIJ Section 1

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Related Terms from Authority Capacity

Authority Capacity

Insulation Stack

Temporal Insulation

Fiscal Insulation

Procedural Insulation

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