- **αD — mobilization.** Enforcement capacity grows in proportion to *observed deception*. Scandals create political will, budgets, statutes, headcount. α is the **institutional responsiveness** — how sharply a democracy/regulator reacts to fraud.
- **μ(E − E₀) — atrophy.** Enforcement decays at rate μ toward a **baseline capacity E₀** (the minimal enforcement the polity maintains even in calm times). μ captures institutional forgetting, capture, defunding, and complacency.