The hottest Incentives Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Take The 2025 ACX Survey

Astral Codex Ten • 7157 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🚌 Education Surveys Psychology Research Findings Incentives
  1. There's a reader survey available that helps understand who reads the blog and explore psychological findings. It's like a fun way to learn more about people's interests.
  2. Taking the survey will take around 20 to 30 minutes, and participants have a chance to win a free one-year subscription. It's a nice incentive to get more people involved.
  3. The survey closes on January 5, so it's important to fill it out before then to make your voice heard.

Measuring developer productivity? A response to McKinsey 2

Software Design: Tidy First? • 3380 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
💼 Business Productivity Team performance Investment decisions Incentives Management
  1. Measuring outcomes and impact alone can lead to gaming the system and disadvantages for the business
  2. Team performance is often more important than individual performance, as seen in sports like soccer
  3. Investing in engineering should be treated as research & development, making small bets and doubling down on promising ones
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The misguided yearning for a better plan

Wednesday Wisdom • 104 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
💼 Business Management Execution Education Engineering Incentives
  1. Having a better plan isn't the solution; it's all about how well you execute the plan you have. Good results come from good execution, not just a fancy plan.
  2. Many people look for secret techniques to improve, but the truth is that everyone knows what to do. The problem is usually that they just aren't doing it well.
  3. Instead of searching high and low for a better plan, focus on improving how you do what you're already doing. Making small changes in execution can lead to big improvements.

On incentives for rooftop and utility-scale solar

GEM Energy Analytics • 299 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Solar energy Renewable Energy Energy Policy Market Dynamics Incentives
  1. Rooftop solar and utility-scale solar are quite different, even though they both use the same technology. Rooftop solar is small and connected to homes, while utility-scale solar is large and functions like a power plant.
  2. Incentives play a big role in how these solar systems behave in the market. Rooftop solar often lacks good incentives to respond to price changes, whereas utility-scale solar can better react to market prices.
  3. Both types of solar can be improved by better support schemes and incentives. It's important not just to generate energy but also to maximize its value in the market, ensuring more efficient and responsive use of solar power.

Unintended Consequences

Fish Food for Thought • 21 implied HN points • 31 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Metrics Incentives Strategy
  1. Making changes based on certain metrics can lead to unexpected problems. For example, Wells Fargo's sales goals pushed employees to open fake accounts.
  2. Good intentions behind laws and incentives can sometimes backfire. The Cobra Effect shows how trying to control a cobra population led to more snakes instead.
  3. It's important to regularly rethink our goals and how we measure success. Metrics can guide us, but we must also consider their potential downsides and the bigger picture.

Even if Lots of Mental Illnesses Are Just Preferences, Caplan Is Still Wrong About Mental Illness

Bentham's Newsletter • 353 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Philosophy Treatment Incentives Stigma
  1. Caplan argues that if something is responsive to incentives, it can't be a mental illness.
  2. Preferences can be irrational and harmful, making them akin to mental illnesses.
  3. Mental illness can be a complex judgment based on normative considerations and other factors.

Taiwan vs. US Chip Subsidies: Bolstering the Sacred Mountain

ChinaTalk • 192 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Incentives Manufacturing
  1. Taiwan allows companies to choose which technologies to invest in, unlike the US and South Korea which target specific areas to strengthen the supply chain.
  2. Taiwanese lawmakers grant significant discretion to government ministries in managing subsidies, in contrast to the US and EU where subsidies are tightly regulated.
  3. Taiwan's central government manages and funds the most significant incentive programs for the semiconductor industry, a strategy that reflects a commitment to enhancing existing strengths.

The Clipboard Hiring Bounty Program

Creating Value from Nothing • 79 implied HN points • 01 Nov 24
💼 Business Hiring Recruitment Talent Acquisition Incentives Networking
  1. Clipboard is offering a $2,500 reward for anyone who refers a successful hiring candidate. This encourages people to share more job possibilities with their networks.
  2. Hiring is crucial for any company, and Clipboard wants to improve how they discover and attract talent.
  3. They prefer a larger number of candidates over just one perfect match, aiming to widen their search for top talent.

Why Health Insurance Systems are Mismanaged

In My Tribe • 455 implied HN points • 01 Jul 23
🏥 Health Politics Health Insurance Incentives Costs Government Market
  1. Incentives in health insurance systems can be misaligned, leading to issues like services being rationed for those with expensive illnesses.
  2. Government can create artificial pools within health insurance to avoid selection games, but challenges in insurer-provider conflicts may persist.
  3. Integrating health insurance with health care, like in HMOs, can help manage costs, but compensation methods for HMOs and providers remain contentious.

More office time is the cost of bureaucracy

Make Work Better • 130 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Workplace culture Employee engagement Incentives
  1. Big firms face challenges with hybrid work due to the complexities of communication and maintaining connections as the team size increases.
  2. Research shows that structured hybrid working can boost employee satisfaction and retention, proving effective in small to medium-sized organizations.
  3. Efforts to reduce meeting time, like Asana's meeting purges, can lead to significant productivity gains by eliminating unnecessary meetings and introducing focused work days.

Open Letter to Insurance Companies re: BMI-Based Incentives/Penalties

Weight and Healthcare • 339 implied HN points • 27 Jul 22
🏥 Health Politics Insurance Healthcare Incentives Discrimination
  1. Charging more for health insurance based on metrics like BMI can create financial inequalities and harm marginalized groups.
  2. BMI is not an accurate measure of health as people with the same BMI can have different health statuses.
  3. BMI-based incentives/penalties can potentially decrease health, disproportionately affecting People of Color and those with lower socioeconomic status.

Big firms have different incentives

New Things Under the Sun • 192 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
💼 Business Innovation R&D Incentives Productivity
  1. Large firms conduct R&D at the same rate as small firms, but they may focus more on process innovations rather than product innovations.
  2. The cost spreading advantage incentivizes larger firms to focus on process innovation, spreading costs over multiple products.
  3. Larger firms may be less inclined to engage in product innovation due to the replacement effect, potentially competing against their own existing products.

[P] LW: Seeing Possibilities in Activism

Nongaap Investing • 2 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
💼 Business Investing Activism Campaigns Incentives Finance
  1. The article focuses on the effectiveness of activist campaigns, specifically discussing how Jana approaches them.
  2. It highlights the idea of using 'carrot and stick' incentives in activism, which means offering rewards for positive behavior while also applying pressure when needed.
  3. Overall, the piece encourages readers to see potential in activism and how it can lead to meaningful changes.

The Gamification of Creativity: Unlocking Potential in the Workplace

UX Psychology • 39 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
💼 Business Creativity Motivation Incentives Research Innovation
  1. Consider implementing gamification with elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to boost creativity more effectively than relying solely on monetary rewards.
  2. When motivating for creativity, excess monetary rewards may not yield better results. Focus on fostering meaning, autonomy, and purpose in tasks instead.
  3. Applying moderate pressure through aspects like performance penalties or time constraints can increase focus, effort, and creative output when used thoughtfully.

The Shitty Stack System

Trying Truly • 124 HN points • 22 Jun 23
💼 Business Management Incentives Collaboration Leadership
  1. Relying on fear and coercion for motivation can be damaging and counterproductive in the workplace.
  2. Implementing competitive ranking systems can lead to toxic work environments and hinder collaboration.
  3. Replacing negative incentives with positive sum dynamics, such as teamwork and personal development, can ultimately lead to greater success and organizational growth.

Agile transformations to make stakeholders "happy" reduces trust

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Stakeholders Trust Organizational Culture Incentives
  1. Balancing different forces in organizational culture is crucial for success, as there is never a perfect stillness.
  2. Pursuing agile transformations solely to please stakeholders can lead to a reduction in trust within the organization.
  3. It is important to be mindful of conflicting incentives and motives when shaping the culture of an organization.

Golden Handcuffs[Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 79 implied HN points • 21 May 22
💰 Finance Compensation Stocks Incentives Investing Financial Analysis
  1. Golden handcuffs are financial incentives designed to keep employees with a company for a specific period by offering benefits like stock options.
  2. Companies use golden handcuffs to retain good talent, align employee incentives with company success, and when cash flow is limited.
  3. Considerations when dealing with golden handcuffs include potential stock value fluctuations, public vs. private company shares, and evaluating companies for true value amidst market hype.

Why you are frustrated by your organisation

Optimally Irrational • 13 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Corporate culture Ethics Workplace dynamics Incentives
  1. Beneath the overly positive facade of organizations, there's often a reality of dysfunction and disillusionment.
  2. The principal-agent problem highlights the conflict of interests between individuals and the organization's goals, leading to misaligned incentives.
  3. Managers can prioritize personal gains, reputation, and short-term benefits over the organization's success, perpetuating issues like hyperactivity and micromanagement.

How to improve social media - Part I

Optimally Irrational • 4 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Social media Incentives Consensus Algorithms
  1. Improving social media platforms can lead to more constructive and reasoned discussions by favoring consensual views
  2. Social media is like a game of status where users compete for social recognition through likes and reposts
  3. Different social media platforms have unique cultures of interaction shaped by social norms which influence user behavior

How to improve social media - Part II

Optimally Irrational • 3 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Algorithms Social media Networks Incentives
  1. Content creation on social media platforms can be improved by incentivizing users to produce better quality content that appeals broadly across partisan lines.
  2. Implementing systems like upvoting and downvoting mechanisms can help reduce extreme and polarizing content on social media platforms.
  3. Platforms can consider algorithms that prioritize consensual content and users' contributions from diverse perspectives to enhance the quality of information presented.

Crime and Punishment

Economic Forces • 4 implied HN points • 24 Aug 23
🚌 Education Economics Legal system Decision-making Incentives
  1. Economic tools can be applied to both market and non-market activities to analyze decision-making involving costs and benefits.
  2. Designing the optimal punishment for crimes involves balancing the deterrence benefit with the enforcement costs.
  3. Consideration of incentives for law enforcement and decision-makers is crucial in designing effective systems to prevent over-enforcement and extortion.

#21 Freud's chair, perversity, and how to solve problems

Design Lobster • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jun 20
🪑 Design Psychology Furniture Ethics Incentives Observation
  1. Be cautious of perverse incentives when trying to influence behavior as they can have unintended consequences.
  2. Observation can lead to innovative design solutions, like Freud's chair tailored to accommodate his unique habit of sitting.
  3. To solve problems effectively, approach them with fresh perspectives and new ways of thinking, as Einstein emphasized.