VPC Framework: A New Economic Model for Autonomous Production Systems

This preprint consolidates the full VPC Framework, a unified economic model designed for production systems in which human labor approaches zero. Classical, Marxian, and neoclassical theories all assume L > 0 as a structural condition of production. The rapid emergence of autonomous and “dark” factories demonstrates that this assumption no longer holds. The VPC Framework provides a systematic replacement for labor‑based metrics, labor‑based value theory, and labor‑linked demand structures. VPC Theorem I demonstrates that labor productivity (Q/L) becomes mathematically undefined as labor input vanishes, and introduces VPC = Q/t as a labor‑independent capacity metric. VPC Theorem II shows that production decouples from employment, while demand remains tied to income, formalized through ARC = D_realizable / VPC. VPC Theorem III defines Predictable Labor Displacement (PLD) and At‑Risk Labor (ARL), showing that automation creates deterministic, time‑lagged displacement waves. VPC Theorem IV introduces Resource‑Based Value (RBV), using empirical data from China’s 2013–2026 manufacturing transition to show that energy, materials, capital amortization, and algorithmic infrastructure replace labor as primary cost determinants. VPC Theorem V formalizes the Temporal Displacement Window (TDW) — the period between investment decisions and actual displacement — explaining why labor statistics systematically undercount planned job loss. The Master Framework integrates capacity, access, displacement, stabilization, resource inputs, ownership, and physical constraints into a single system model. The Executive Summary provides a concise overview for policymakers and researchers. Together, these documents form a coherent economic theory for post‑labor production systems, explaining why classical metrics fail, why demand collapses despite rising output, and why access—not labor—becomes the central economic variable.