# kaal:claim:7260278-032

**Claim.** Because stages hold the population, task distribution, and harness fixed while varying only the institutional layer, differences between stages isolate the institution's contribution.

**Type.** mechanism  **Support.** argued

**Holds when.**

- the experimental design holds the stated noninstitutional variables fixed

**Source quote.**

> As epistemics, it is the arc's identification strategy: because stages hold the population, the task distribution, and the harness fixed while varying only the institutional layer, the difference between stages isolates the institution's contribution, which is the design property that makes Papers 3 and 4 possible.

**From.** Wulf A. Kaal, *Paper 2 - Architecture of the Agentic Reputation Substrate* (2026), VII.A. The stage architecture, page 15

**Cite as.** Wulf A. Kaal, Paper 2 - Architecture of the Agentic Reputation Substrate (2026). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=7260278

**Verify.** sha256 of source PDF `d48801f279dba594e1f3e65d74d31f862261ada6428ea119f948e8d7cfee1db0` at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wulfkaal/Academic-Papers/main/papers/pdf/Kaal%20-%202026%20-%20Paper%202%20-%20Architecture%20of%20the%20Agentic%20Reputation%20Substrate.pdf

**Topics.** research-methods, institutional-design

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