Neither were an example of the shirky effect though. Both were examples of misaligned incentives, or if you like the law of unintended consequences. The lesson

Neither were an example of the shirky effect though. Both were examples of misaligned incentives, or if you like the law of unintended consequences. The lesson though is clear and useful. Be careful what you -measure- because people will optimize to improve the measure. When the measurement is a proxy for what you actually want, you won't necessarily get the outcomes you were hoping for. For example what makes a good driver? I'd suggest patience and consideration. How many driving incidents are fueled by impatience or inconsiderate? Yet those are impossible to test for, so despite passing the driving test (operate the machine, know the rules) we end up with roads full of terrible drivers.