Structural Drift (Φ): A Viability Constraint Beyond Expected Value (EV Âm)

Key Points

• The study aims to clarify the concept of structural drift as a measure of system viability under resource limitations.
• Introduced the concept of structural drift Φ as a system-level measure.
• Analyzed the relationship between local performance and overall system failure.
• Developed a framework distinguishing growth from survival.
• Identified systems with Φ < 0 are likely to fail in a finite expected time.
• Formalized the idea of negative expected drift (EV Âm) as a significant metric for viability.

Abstract