Glossary

Core Concepts

Free Association

A coordination protocol enabling resource allocation through recognition of contributions. Entities acknowledge each other's value and allocate resources accordingly without centralized control.

Recognition

The percentage (summing to 100%) that an entity allocates among contributors to their organizational goals. Non-transferable and dynamically adjustable.

Entity

Any participant in the network - organization, community, institution, individual - that can publish priority weights, capacity, and needs.

Network

The collection of entities and their recognition relationships. Forms the basis for resource allocation calculation.

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Recognition System

Priority Weights

The distribution of an entity's 100% priority among contributors. Represents assessment of who contributes to organizational goals.

Contribution Tree

Hierarchical structure organizing recognition by contribution category. Each branch has weight; contributors within each branch receive recognition points.

Unilateral Recognition

Recognition in one direction only. Entity A recognizes Entity B, but B doesn't recognize A (or recognizes at lower percentage).

Self-Recognition

Entity recognizing itself. Permitted in protocol, useful for time-shifting resources within own organization.

Recognition Accuracy

Degree to which recognition pattern connects entity with actually beneficial resources and partnerships. Validated through outcomes.

Effective Recognition

Recognition that connects entity with resources and partnerships genuinely advancing organizational goals.

Ineffective Recognition

Recognition that fails to connect entity with beneficial resources or creates harmful dependencies.

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Resource Coordination

Capacity

Available surplus resources an entity can offer. Can include funding, expertise, facilities, time, equipment.

Declared Need

Specific resource requirement stated by an entity. Allocation capped at declared need to prevent accumulation.

Remaining Need

Unsatisfied portion of declared need: Remaining_Need = max(0, Declared_Need - Total_Received).

Resource Type

Category of resource being coordinated. Can be tangible (funding, facilities) or intangible (expertise, mission-aligned values).

Filter

Specification limiting resource compatibility - time windows, geographic locations, resource types, or other constraints.

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Allocation Mechanics

Proportional Share

Percentage of provider's capacity allocated to specific recipient, based on recognition.

Raw Allocation

Allocation before need cap is applied: Raw_Allocation = Provider_Capacity × Share.

Final Allocation

Allocation after need cap: Final_Allocation = min(Raw_Allocation, Declared_Need).

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System Properties

Determinism

Property ensuring same network state always yields identical allocation results.

Proportional Preservation

Property ensuring allocation ratios match recognition ratios where constraints allow.

Pareto Efficiency

Property ensuring no entity can improve their allocation quality without degrading another's.

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Implementation Terms

Reference Implementation

Canonical implementation of Free Association protocol, maintained by core development team. Used to measure protocol conformance.

Conformant Implementation

Implementation satisfying all requirements of Free Association protocol specification.

Protocol Violation

Implementation behavior that breaks core protocol properties (accumulation, transferable recognition, etc.).

RFC (Request for Comments)

Proposal for protocol change, submitted through governance process for community discussion.

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Use Case Terms

Pilot Program

Limited-scope implementation of Free Association to test and learn. Typically 10-20% of capacity, 3-12 months.

Free Association Coalition

Group of organizations implementing Free Association for coordination.

Collective Resource Coordination

Using Free Association to allocate shared resource pools among member entities.

Crisis Response

Use of Free Association for rapid resource deployment in emergency situations.

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Mathematical Terms

Recognition Distribution

Allocation of entity's 100% recognition among contributors: Σ Recognition(E→Others) = 100%.

True Recognition

Recognition of contribution to the realization of priorities that enables the continued realization of priorities (self-sustaining).

False Recognition

Recognition of contribution to the realization of priorities that impairs the continued realization of priorities (self-terminating).

Alignment (α)

Measures how closely your capacity allocation matches true recognition. Formula: Alignment (α) = Σ_i min(Allocation_i / Capacity, TrueRecognition_i). Ranges from 0 (completely misaligned) to 1 (perfectly aligned).

Alignment Velocity (v)

Measures how fast alignment improves or degrades. Formula: Velocity (v) = ΔAlignment / ΔTime. Positive velocity indicates learning and correcting, negative indicates degrading, zero indicates stability.

Proportional Preservation

Property ensuring that if you express Recipient A should receive twice as much as Recipient B (through recognition), the system allocates approximately twice as much capacity to A when feasible given constraints.

Least Biased Solution

Among all possible allocations satisfying constraints, the system selects the one that introduces the least additional bias beyond what entities express. This is the entropy-maximizing (information-theoretically optimal) solution.

Constraint Propagation

When constraints bind (e.g., a recipient reaches capacity), effects propagate through the network. Capacity that cannot flow to a full recipient automatically redistributes to other compatible needs according to expressed preferences.

Pareto Efficiency

The system converges to a stable equilibrium where no entity can improve their allocation quality (measured by preference satisfaction) without degrading someone else's.

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Related Terms

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)

Infrastructure serving public interest, openly accessible, not privately controlled. Free Association designed as DPI for resource coordination.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

Decentralized architecture where participants interact directly without central intermediary.

Coordination Mechanism

Method for aligning actions of multiple entities toward shared or compatible goals.

Resource Allocation

Process of distributing available resources among entities with requirements.

Mutual Aid

Support exchanged among peers based on reciprocity and solidarity. Free Association provides scalable mutual aid infrastructure.

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Acronyms

DPI - Digital Public Infrastructure

P2P - Peer-to-Peer

RFC - Request for Comments

AGPL - Affero General Public License (project license)

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Further Reading

Concepts: Core Concepts

Mathematics: Mathematical Foundations

Protocol: Protocol Specification

Implementation: For Organizations