Legislative rationalization () is thus positively correlated with voter transactional compliance () and the political "return on investment" from vote buying ():
A_p = g(A_r, ROI), \quad \frac{\partial A_p}{\partial A_r} > 0
Implication: The feedback loop between voter rationalization and legislative behavior reinforces systemic degradation.
Hypothesis 3: Collective Normalization and Systemic Degradation
When micro-level rationalizations and meso-level normative reinforcement converge, the macro-level democratic legitimacy () declines, measured through reduced civic engagement, weakened accountability, and erosion of institutional trust:
D(t) = h(A_r, A_p, S_\text{meso})
Implication: Repeated cycles of transactional politics produce self-reinforcing degradation, increasing vulnerability to either authoritarian consolidation (if compliance is passive) or social unrest (if collective discontent exceeds tolerance thresholds).
Hypothesis 4: Trade-Off Between Material Incentives and Perceived Justice Determines System Trajectory
The direction of systemic evolution---toward authoritarianism or anarchy---is determined by the balance between monetary incentives offered to voters () and the perceived violation of justice ():
S = k - \alpha D + \beta J - \gamma U
Implication:
