AI reviewed · sources pending. Book associations have not been verified.
Starting point and optimum
ConceptThe direction that moves toward an optimum depends on where the starting point lies.
Explanation or usage
For an outcome that peaks at an intermediate value, points on opposite sides can improve by moving in opposite directions. Knowing what another actor changed is insufficient without knowing their position and conditions. An assumed optimum is a model feature to test, not a fact about every policy.
Common misunderstandings
Two actors seeking the same optimum must move in the same direction.
In How Not to Be Wrong
General context reviewed · book attribution and sources pending
Proposed Chapter 1 context: use an explicit toy model to examine why another country’s direction of change is not enough to choose a policy.