Purpose
This category addresses failures where economic resources distort participation, power, or fairness within the community.
Failure Pattern
Typical issues include:
- privatization of shared assets,
- substitution of money for participation,
- or conversion of wealth into informal authority.
These failures often masquerade as pragmatic solutions.
Structural Risk
Unregulated economic dynamics undermine:
- commons integrity,
- exit rights,
- and contribution equity.
Over time, the community becomes extractive or class-stratified.
What Is Being Stress-Tested
- Commons protection
- Contribution equivalence rules
- Separation of wealth and authority
- Exit and transfer conditions
RCOS Expectation
RCOS-compliant systems must:
- explicitly define economic rules,
- prevent unbounded accumulation of power via resources,
- and preserve exitability.
This category tests whether money serves the system rather than rules it.