The Metric–Value Paradox: Why Metrics Kill Value in Algorithmic Governance

This record consolidates a policy brief and an accompanying visual slide deck that analyze a shared structural failure across contemporary algorithmic and institutional systems: the substitution of human value optimization by metric-constrained, risk-averse governance. The materials formalize the Metric–Value Paradox, documenting how proxy metrics, KPIs, and quantitative targets—when elevated to optimization objectives—systematically suppress high-variance value, innovation, and epistemic diversity. Rather than focusing on speculative futures, this work synthesizes observable design patterns and incentive structures already deployed across recommender systems, AI governance, public administration, scientific evaluation, and platform economies. The policy brief is intended for regulators, policymakers, platform governance teams, and institutional decision-makers. The slide deck provides a concise, visual articulation of the same framework for executive, policy, and cross-disciplinary audiences. Together, these artifacts are designed to function as: • a policy-facing diagnostic framework, • a governance reference document, • and a reusable briefing asset for institutional discussions. Individual components may later circulate independently, while this record preserves their shared conceptual integrity and precedence.