Link: https://entangle.substack.com/p/the-bottleneck-theory-of-everything

tl;dr

Bottlenecks are the breakpoints within a complex system, the kinks that have a range of cascading, spillover effects
Bottleneck Theory suggests that by focusing on identifying the areas where things break down in a complex system, we can find the solutions with the highest leverage benefit overall
Bottlenecks are everywhere you look, from traffic congestion to critical societal issues like cancer, Alzheimer's, climate change, and wealth inequality
If we could improve the way we study and identify bottlenecks, we might be able to come up with creative, high-leverage solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges

Our world is a web of complex systems. These systems, whether functioning well or breaking down, offer clues worth studying. By focusing on the flow within these systems, the movement between interconnected components (information, energy, dollars, etc.), we can better diagnose issues and devise multifaceted solutions.

Bottlenecks are the small kinks where systems break down, where flow stagnates. Every complex system has breakpoints or weak links. These breakpoints within the system are worth studying: while seemingly small, they can often propagate cascading issues throughout the system, a multi-faceted domino effect. But the flip side is also true: if we can find and fix the bottleneck, they are often the points of highest leverage for benefits across the system.

The recent collapse of an overpass on I-95 near Philadelphia is a clear example of this. A small section of the highway collapsed from an oil tanker crash, causing a local failure. I-95 is a critical artery for the entire east coast region, so a small kink can have disastrous effects. The direct impact is increased congestion for commuters and summer travelers within the Philadelphia area, but this breakpoint could take months to repair and in the process create all sorts of ripple effects, impacting supply chains and the regional economy. This kink in the system also exposes all other fragilities in the broader logistics network, such as perhaps insufficient railway capacity to transport gas more safely and cheaply.

Bottlenecks are ever-present in logistics and traffic. We have all experienced the dread of bumper-to-bumper traffic on a congested highway. Our logical intuition might suggest that to reduce conge...

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