Why Fixes Often Backfire
Fixes backfire when they address symptoms instead of root causes, create new problems through unintended consequences, or shift problems elsewhere.
What has been corrected on this page?
Every accepted correction to this page is recorded with the exact change, so readers can see how the page improved over time.
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Qualified four overstated claims: softened the focused-deterrence claim to what David Kennedy's research shows (reduced violence in several cities by focusing on the few people driving it) rather than being universally more effective; clarified that EHR/HITECH burden is one important contributor to physician burnout, not the sole cause of the overall rise; softened 'Goodhart's Law holds across nearly every accountability domain' to a wide range of domains with largely observational evidence; and reframed Easterly's Planner-versus-Searcher finding as a central argument that Planner-model aid tends to disappoint rather than a systematic empirical demonstration that Planners underperform Searchers across contexts.
The article already correctly described the Delhi cobra-bounty story as apocryphal.
What the page claimedThe article said focused deterrence is universally more effective, that HITECH/EHRs caused the overall rise in physician burnout, that Goodhart's Law holds across nearly every accountability domain, and that Planner aid programs systematically underperform Searcher programs; it also mentioned the cobra bounty story.
What was correctedQualified the focused-deterrence, burnout, Goodhart, and Planner/Searcher claims to what the sources support, and confirmed the cobra story was already flagged as apocryphal.
Why: The flagged claims were more universal or causal than the evidence supports; the cobra story was already handled. Corrections scope the claims rather than adding new sources.
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