Glossary

Core Concepts

Free Association

A coordination protocol enabling resource allocation through mutual 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.

Mutual Recognition (MR)

The minimum of reciprocal recognition percentages between two entities. Calculated as: MR(A, B) = min(Recognition_A_gives_B, Recognition_B_gives_A).

Entity

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

Network

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

Recognition System

Recognition Weights

The distribution of an entity's 100% recognition 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.

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.

Active Need

Declared need adjusted by damping factor to prevent oscillation: Active_Need = Declared_Need × Damping_Factor.

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.

Allocation Mechanics

Percentage of provider's capacity allocated to specific recipient, based on mutual recognition: Share = MR(P, R) / Σ MR(P, All_Recipients).

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).

Two-Tier Priority

Allocation structure where mutual recognition relationships (Tier 1) receive priority over unilateral recognition (Tier 2).

Tier 1 Allocation

Resources allocated among entities with mutual recognition, proportional to recognition strength.

Tier 2 Allocation

Remaining capacity (after Tier 1) allocated among entities with unilateral recognition from provider.

System Properties

Convergence

Process of system reaching stable equilibrium state. Typically occurs in 5-10 calculation rounds (1-2 seconds).

Damping Factor

Multiplier applied to declared need to prevent allocation oscillation. Values: 0.5 (conservative), 0.8 (balanced), 1.0 (responsive).

Need Declaration Incentives

Allocation capping mechanism creates incentives for honest need reporting. Over-reporting doesn't accumulate resources (non-accumulation property applies), under-reporting reduces allocation. The 100% recognition budget combined with outcome feedback creates self-correcting dynamics for ongoing participants. Protocol v6 (draft) adds satisfaction-based learning that automatically resolves provider non-delivery.

Proportional Fairness

Property ensuring allocations strictly proportional to mutual recognition strength.

Non-Accumulative

Property preventing entities from receiving resources beyond declared needs.

Contraction Property

Guarantee that receiving resources always reduces remaining need. This holds unconditionally in every allocation round, regardless of how needs change between rounds.

Determinism

Property ensuring same network state always yields identical allocation results.

Network Patterns

Hub-and-Spoke Network

Network structure with central organization recognizing many partners, who primarily recognize the hub.

Mesh Network

Dense network where multiple entities have mutual recognition relationships. No single central hub.

Hierarchical Network

Network organized in tiers, with recognition flowing primarily within tiers and some cross-tier relationships.

Hybrid Network

Network combining multiple structural patterns (hub-and-spoke, mesh, hierarchical) based on actual relationships.

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.

Use Case Terms

Pilot Program

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

Coalition

Group of organizations jointly 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.

Organizational Terms

Mission-Aligned Partners

Organizations working on compatible goals, even without direct collaboration.

Contribution Assessment

Process of determining recognition percentages based on evaluation of contributions to organizational goals.

Capacity Declaration

Statement of available surplus resources with specifications (filters, timing, type).

Need Declaration

Statement of specific resource requirements with specifications.

Recognition Pattern

Overall distribution of entity's recognition across contributors. Encodes strategic priorities and relationships.

Comparative Terms

Traditional Coordination

Resource coordination through markets (purchasing power), charity (donations), or bureaucracy (committees).

Bureaucratic Overhead

Administrative time and resources consumed by coordination process. Target reduction: 70-90% with Free Association.

Fundraising Overhead

Time organizations spend acquiring resources rather than mission work. Target reduction: 75-85% with Free Association.

Due Diligence

Process of verifying potential partners. In Free Association, recognition encodes ongoing assessment.

Mathematical Terms

Recognition Distribution

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

Symmetry Property

Mutual recognition is symmetric: MR(A, B) = MR(B, A).

Minimum Function

Taking the lower of two values. Used in mutual recognition: MR(A,B) = min(Rec_A_to_B, Rec_B_to_A).

Convergence Criterion

Threshold for determining system has reached stable state: |Need(t+1) - Need(t)| < ε.

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.

Acronyms

MR - Mutual Recognition

DPI - Digital Public Infrastructure

P2P - Peer-to-Peer

RFC - Request for Comments

AGPL - Affero General Public License (project license)

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