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The Stratification Engine: A Recurrent Mechanism of Compound Exclusion

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  • Li, Jie

Abstract

Resource deprivation cuts two ways. It blocks access to new technologies, and scarcity can narrow the cognitive bandwidth needed to use them. I formalise this as the Resource–Technology–Cognitive (RTC) chain, in which disadvantage compounds at the interfaces between layers, so that exclusion multiplies rather than adds. Cognitive inheritance, reconstituted each generation through early-life conditions rather than genetically transmitted, is posited to carry this compound disadvantage across generations unless those conditions change. I trace the chain across eight technological transitions as an illustrative basis, and derive three falsifiable propositions about sequential causation, super-additive amplification, and intergenerational moderation. The AI transition restructures access and skill demands simultaneously, and the next cohort's starting conditions are already forming.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Jie, 2026. "The Stratification Engine: A Recurrent Mechanism of Compound Exclusion," SocArXiv 3awqz_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:3awqz_v1
    DOI: 10.31235/osf.io/3awqz_v1
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