HDB capped a block's ethnic mix by restricting buyers, not moving residents
Singapore's HDB stopped ethnic enclaves from re-forming by refusing to approve resales that would tip a block's ethnic balance, without moving anyone.
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3,236 PUBLISHED CASES · REGULARLY UPDATEDBangladesh paid villagers to find smallpox cases
Bangladesh's smallpox program paid villagers cash to report cases, turning the population into a detection network.
Read the caseSouth Australia detached water rights from land title
South Australia's 1997 law separated water rights from land title, letting water trade independently and flow to its highest-value use.
Read the caseSt Jude made donors the manager choosing which child loses
St. Jude cast donors as managers choosing which child gets the last bed, then sold the bed back.
Read the caseUtah cut chronic homelessness by housing people first
Utah cut chronic homelessness by giving apartments first, no sobriety required, saving money.
Read the caseSting claimed F1's engine roar as its sound while invisible
Sting, invisible in F1, claimed the engine's roar as its sound, seeding 'stinggg' via Armin van Buuren and creators.
Read the caseSuncorp gave away its risk data so homes warn their owners
Suncorp built Haven, where a home's voice delivers a personalized risk report from its own pricing data.
Read the caseTexas Instruments halved a radio's transistor count to fit a pocket
TI and IDEA cut a radio's transistors from eight to four, making it pocket-sized and launching the industry.
Read the casetruth campaign cut teen smoking by targeting Big Tobacco, not teens
The truth campaign redirected teen rebellion from health warnings to Big Tobacco, making refusal to smoke the defiant choice.
Read the caseTSA sped up lines by screening known travelers less
TSA, facing long lines, created PreCheck to give vetted travelers lighter screening, freeing resources for unknown travelers.
Read the caseRemington's typing contests opened clerical work to anyone with speed
Remington's public typing contests let anyone prove skill by a number, breaking family-based hiring.
Read the caseBritain taxed spirits by strength once one instrument's reading became unarguable
Every disputed spirits tax bill in Britain traced back to competing hydrometers. Parliament ended the arguments by making one instrument's reading the law.
Read the caseUK charities reclaim tax on donations with one declaration
The UK's 1990 Finance Act let charities reclaim basic-rate tax on donations via a simple declaration, adding 25% to gifts.
Read the caseBritain stopped metal theft by banning cash at scrapyards
Britain stopped metal theft by banning cash at scrapyards, not chasing thieves on tracks.
Read the caseUN made mining firms split seabed claims, then chose first
The UN made mining firms split each seabed claim into two equal halves and then chose which half to keep, forcing honest division.
Read the caseAir Force picked fighter by flying rivals, not paper
In 1974, the Air Force made General Dynamics and Northrop build and fly rival prototypes, choosing the YF-16 based on real flight performance.
Read the caseWalmart cross-docked goods to cut warehouse costs
Walmart routed goods from inbound to outbound trucks so nothing sat in a warehouse, cutting distribution costs to 1.7% of sales.
Read the caseWaze drew its map from drivers' everyday trips
Waze, a navigation startup, couldn't afford licensed maps, so it drew roads from GPS traces of drivers' everyday trips.
Read the caseWildAid cut elephant poaching by advertising in China
WildAid cut elephant poaching by running celebrity ads in China to reduce ivory demand, and prices fell 65% after a ban.
Read the caseWisła Kraków paid its 'bad-luck' fans so superstition sold tickets
Wisła Kraków and VML Poland computed each fan's personal luck index and gave the 'cursed' fans a discount, turning superstition into a ticket-selling reason.
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