Friction as Structure: Institutional Governance in the Transition from Reactive to Adaptive Regulation | — A Structural-Analytical Examination

Short Abstract In the course of the institutional integration of adaptive systems, tensions arise that cannot be described as a deficit of control, but as a structural transition between two governance logics. Reactive governance — developed for stationary objects — operates through ex-post correction, precedent, and formal traceability. Adaptive governance — required for learning systems — demands second-order observation, real-time verification, and structural sensitivity. Friction emerges between these logics. The present work analyzes friction not as a loss to be minimized, but as a structural condition of learning. Drawing on historical parallels (Manhattan Project, financial crisis 2008, platform…