THE QUESTION
Why is a secure standard of living harder to reach than a generation ago?
Propose what to do, then judge whether each action would move each root.
30 at the table (29 simulated) · 3 actions proposed against 6 root causes. Add one, then judge whether each action moves each cause.
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Score the roots first
why
The method's own practice, before any action is proposed: each root cause is scored 1–5 on how feasible it is to address, how much impact addressing it would have, and how likely it is to resolve by itself with no intervention. Priority goes to roots with high impact, high feasibility and low likelihood of fixing themselves — priority = impact + feasibility − likelihood. Scores are averaged across the group and shown with how many scored.
1 = low, 5 = high. Your own scores; the group's averages beside them.
| root cause | feasible | impact | fixes itself | priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification as self-employed removes protections without removing dependence | – | |||
| The share of output going to wages fell and nobody decided it | – | |||
| Debt made the fall invisible until it was not | – | |||
| The cost of the essentials rose faster than the basket used to measure inflation | – | |||
| Productivity rose and pay stopped following it | – | |||
| A household absorbs shocks that used to be absorbed by an institution | – |
Would each action move each root cause?
Down the side: the actions people proposed. Across the top: the root causes the map found. Every square is one vote on one question — would this action significantly reduce that cause? One side has to reach 75% of the votes cast to settle it; short of that the square stays split.
why
Answered at 75% of votes cast, like every other question here. Split means people voted and neither side reached that bar — it is a result, not a queue, and it stays split until enough people change their minds. A square nobody settles stays undecided; it never turns into a no. Judging each pair on its own is what stops a popular action being credited with fixing things it does not touch.
| ACTION | ROOT CAUSES · does the action on the left reduce it? | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classification as self-employed removes protections without removing dependence | The share of output going to wages fell and nobody decided it | Debt made the fall invisible until it was not | The cost of the essentials rose faster than the basket used to measure inflation | Productivity rose and pay stopped following it | A household absorbs shocks that used to be absorbed by an institution | |
| Measure inflation for the essentials separately, and publish it in focus ↑ · close ✕ | ✗ no, it does not 2 yes / 27 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 4 yes / 25 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✓ yes, it reduces this 22 yes / 7 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 4 yes / 25 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 2 yes / 27 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✓ yes, it reduces this 25 yes / 4 no · 22 of 29 settles it |
| Tax the asset at the rate of the wage discuss | ✗ no, it does not 3 yes / 26 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✓ yes, it reduces this 25 yes / 4 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✓ yes, it reduces this 24 yes / 5 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 5 yes / 24 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 3 yes / 26 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 2 yes / 27 no · 22 of 29 settles it |
| Competition policy that counts employers as well as sellers discuss | ✓ yes, it reduces this 23 yes / 6 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 7 yes / 22 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 3 yes / 26 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 1 yes / 28 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 3 yes / 26 no · 22 of 29 settles it | ✗ no, it does not 5 yes / 24 no · 22 of 29 settles it |
Highest leverage so far
Measure inflation for the essentials separately, and publish it reduces 2 of 6 root causes
Tax the asset at the rate of the wage reduces 2 of 6 root causes
Competition policy that counts employers as well as sellers reduces 1 of 6 root causes