Unintended Consequences
Unintended Consequences is a social science principle β formalized by Robert Merton in 1936 β describing how purposeful actions regularly produce outcomes their designers did not intend and often did not anticipate. Unintended consequences can be beneficial (penicillin discovered while studying bacteria), neutral, or harmful (prohibition creating organized crime). Understanding the mechanisms that generate them is the key to better policy, product, and strategic design.