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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0173 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Conflict of Interest

Competing loyalties that compromise judgment.

Ethics·Concept·Grade C·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Competing loyalties that compromise judgment.

Plain-English Definition

Competing loyalties that compromise judgment.

Feynman Explanation

Disclosure is the bandage; structural separation is the cure.

Core Principle

Competing loyalties that compromise judgment.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Disclosure is the bandage; structural separation is the cure.

Examples

Everyday
  • An advisor paid by the product they recommend.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Org structures with built-in COIs leak trust continuously.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Separate decision rights from financial interest.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
C (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★☆☆☆
Intervention Confidence
2 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Model vendors evaluating their own models on their own benchmarks.
Amplifying Incentives
Org structures with built-in COIs leak trust continuously.
Org Failure Modes
Org structures with built-in COIs leak trust continuously.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Separate decision rights from financial interest.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Separate decision rights from financial interest.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Separate decision rights from financial interest.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Model vendors evaluating their own models on their own benchmarks.
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0173 · COG
Conflict of Interest
COJuJusticeTrTransparencyAcAccountabilityASAdverse SelectionAuAuthorityAwAweBLBalancing LoopBeBelongingCACollective Action Pr…CoCompetence

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.