# Political Change System

> How does change actually happen—and why does power remain entrenched even when many people want something different?

This complete working edition contains **1168 curated core nodes** selected from **4672 evaluated candidates**, **2287 typed relationships**, **160 mapshifts**, 49 lineages, 24 spreads, 16 games, 53 sources, one complete Markdown dossier per final node, schemas, exports, an interactive static site, and enamel reference artifacts.

## Start

- [Manual](manual/00-START-HERE.md)
- [Theory of political change](manual/01-THEORY-OF-POLITICAL-CHANGE.md)
- [Current and contested topics](manual/11-CURRENT-AND-CONTESTED-TOPICS.md)
- [Source and claim policy](research/SOURCE-AND-CLAIM-POLICY.md)
- [Interactive site](site/index.html)
- [Enamel references](reference-artifacts/index.html)
- [Validation report](validation/VALIDATION-REPORT.md)

## Architecture

`engine/` and `data/candidate-ledger.json` preserve the generative field. `sentinel/` contains separate annotations and unassessed handoff requests. Curated nodes do not erase unselected candidates. Factual, participant, historical, synthetic, interpretive, symbolic, speculative, and open-question layers remain distinct.

## Scope and limits

The system is nonpartisan in architecture, not neutral about the existence of evidence, rights, violence, or documented institutional mechanisms. It does not equate unlike claims to perform balance. Current material is frozen through **2026-08-24**. See [Residual Limitations](research/LIMITATIONS.md).
