A conceptual infographic titled "The Trap of Flattening Value." On the left, vibrant, glowing fractal networks represent "Multiplicative Effects & Public Value," with icons for Vaccines (Herd Immunity), Education (Knowledge Network), and Clean Water (Ecosystem Services) branching out like organic roots and neurons. These colorful systems converge into a golden spiral labeled "Genuine, Off-Ledger ROI." On the right, this complex system is being fed into a heavy, dark industrial press labeled "Simple Pricing." The press flattens the multidimensional, glowing networks into a narrow, gray, linear ribbon labeled "Linear Unit Cost," marked with identical dollar signs. The contrast illustrates how market pricing strips away systemic information and distorts the perceived value of public goods. @mazzucatom.bsky.social @opeters.bsky.social @sfiscience.bsky.social @juliabelluz.bsky.social @gregggonsalves.bsky.social @stephaniekelton.bsky.social @profstevekeen.bsky.social
Vaccines, education, clean water → multiplicative effects.
Prices flatten them into linear costs. This loss of information distorts the way we make decisions.
Public health creates genuine ROI, it is just "off ledger."
#PublicHealth #Nonlinear #ComplexityEconomics #SystemicRisk
