This document defines what constitutes a case study within the Institutional Experiments program.
It exists to:
Not all explored scenarios are published as cases.
A scenario may be included as a case study only if it satisfies all of the following conditions.
The case must be grounded in a concrete, describable context involving real participants, systems, or interactions.
Abstract designs, hypothetical systems, or purely speculative futures do not qualify.
The case must surface tension, ambiguity, or breakdown in one or more institutional dimensions, such as:
The friction must arise from ordinary operation rather than exceptional failure.
The case must meaningfully challenge or stress-test at least one core Institute concept (e.g. AI Workforce Identity, Language Governance).
Cases that merely illustrate concepts without exposing limits are excluded.
The case must allow observation without requiring system redesign, policy change, or behavioral instruction.
If the scenario only becomes interesting after intervention, it is not a case.
The following are intentionally excluded:
Cases are diagnostic instruments, not solution showcases.
Cases are managed under three publication states.
Fully written cases that:
Cases under active investigation that:
Cases acknowledged as relevant but:
Listing a planned case signals research intent, not commitment.
Cases may evolve through the following stages:
Cases may be revised, merged, or retired as research progresses.
This document may be updated to reflect methodological refinement. Revisions are documented to preserve interpretability across time.
The goal of case governance is clarity, not exhaustiveness.