Goodhart's law: why a number stops telling the truth once it becomes a target
Perverse incentives: how paying for dead rats went wrong
Hanoi, 1902: the city wants its rats dead, so it pays for every rat tail brought in. The rat catchers do exactly what it pays for.
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Hanoi, 1902, under French rule. The city fears plague, and its brand-new sewers are full of rats.
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So the city pays a small reward, a few cents, for each rat tail brought in. Each tail should mean one rat fewer.
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