Goodhart's law

proper noun

The idea that, when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure; originally, "as soon as the government attempts to regulate any particular set of financial assets, these become unreliable as indicators of economic trends".

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. The idea that, when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure; originally, "as soon as the government attempts to regulate any particular set of financial assets, these become unreliable as indicators of economic trends".

Origin

Named after British economist Charles Goodhart (1936–), who originated it.

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Cite this entry
APA

Goodhart's law. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Goodhart's%20law

MLA

“Goodhart's law.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Goodhart's%20law. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Goodhart's law,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Goodhart's%20law.

Source: Goodhart's law on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.