Economy 5.0 · OSF-ECO-147
Validation of the K-Flow hypothesis: democracies and authoritarian regimes (2010-2024)
By Carlos J. Pérez Pulido · ISHEA Institute ·
K-Flow describes how a system's purpose emerges, travels and holds. Fifteen years of democracies and authoritarian regimes serve as a testbed: where the flow is blocked, systemic tension accumulates.
Preprint — Manuscript deposited on OSF. Not peer-reviewed.
K-Flow refers to the flow of purpose within the ISHEA–KTR–TACC–IHC model. It describes how Purpose (K) emerges, is transmitted (T), and reinforced through resilience (R). When K-Flow is continuous and coherent, systems flourish; when it is fragmented or blocked, systemic tension accumulates, leading to cognitive, biological, or infrastructural deterioration.
Overview
This component provides the empirical validation of the K-Model ISHEA–LEX framework, focusing on the relationship between knowledge flow (K-Flow) and human development outcomes across different political regimes (2010–2024).
The central hypothesis is:
Higher K-Flow → Greater economic, social, and systemic resilience.
Objectives
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Build and apply a multidimensional K-Flow Index (0–100).
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Classify countries into democracies, authoritarian regimes, and mixed systems.
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Validate the causal relationship between K-Flow and:
GDP per capita (PPP)
Total Factor Productivity (TFP)
ISHEA (Expanded Human Satisfaction Index)
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Explore moderation by religion/state control and digital openness.
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Provide robust empirical evidence to support the Cognitive Hive Theory at the macro level.
Methods
Data sources: IMF, World Bank, Freedom House, V-Dem, Pew, UNESCO, WIPO, ITU, ODIN.
Panel structure: ~150 countries, 2010–2024.
Statistical design:
Fixed effects with lags
Instrumental variables (IV)
Difference-in-Differences (DiD)
Mediation/moderation analysis
Replicability: All scripts and datasets are stored under /data and /code.
Results (Preliminary)
Strong correlations between K-Flow and development metrics (r = 0.72–0.85, p < 0.01).
Democracies with secular governance show the highest efficiency of K-Flow.
Authoritarian religious regimes show the lowest resilience.
Mixed regimes (e.g., India, Turkey, UAE) display partial gains but systemic friction.
Repository Structure
/data_raw/ → Original datasets
/data_clean/ → Merged panel data
/code/ → Scripts for analysis
/figures/ → Graphical outputs (coefplots, trajectories)
/tables/ → Statistical results in CSV
/docs/ → Reports and extended manuscripts
/wiki/ → This documentation
Citation
Please cite as:
Perez Pulido, C. J. (2025). Validation of the K-Flow Hypothesis: Democracies vs. Authoritarian Regimes (2010–2024). OSF. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/UEF2B
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