3 ms·

Locks are for keeping honest people out.

• dragonwriter 12y ago
  And for increasing the expected cost for dishonest people to get in -- in the case of literal locks, by increasing the time and effort required to get in and the probability of being detected in the process (the variation in the quality and expense of locks is all about this second function, not about the function of keeping honest people out.) Similarly with anti-corruption regimes -- they not only keep honest people from engaging in prohibited practices, but also generally include features designed to detect and punish defectors. While these obviously aren't 100% reliable, they are intended to increase the expected cost of defection.