Any construction of digital models that would demonstrate the dynamics of the spread of anarcho-capitalist norms in society encounters the principle of methodological subjectivism, according to which values are subjective, and therefore, measuring and comparing them is incorrect, especially for different people. Thus, we are forced to limit ourselves to a purely qualitative analysis.
The incentives influencing how people adopt certain practices can be conventionally divided into three categories:
Economic. If acting within the norms of ancap is profitable for the vast majority of community members, it creates an incentive for them to act precisely this way. Practices become habitual, turn into strong traditions, become codified in some way, and require less and less effort to apply.
Emotional. People may practice anarcho-capitalist relations even in the absence of direct and immediate economic benefit, simply because they like it. They derive moral satisfaction from being guided by these specific norms rather than others. However, if as ancap practices are adopted the emotional incentives are not reinforced by economic ones, the initial enthusiasm may wane.
Coercive. Even if people are accustomed to other practices, find them profitable and morally acceptable, anarcho-capitalist relations may, in some ways, be imposed by force by some external power. This may occur, for example, during the upbringing of children for whom ancap values are by no means organic. Under coercion, people are forced to practice ancap despite the lack of benefit and internal prejudice. Of course, such an incentive is suitable at best as a temporary solution, with the gradual strengthening of the influence of the first two types of incentives; otherwise, such stimulation, which violates libertarian principles, will be rejected by the ancap community for moral reasons.
Incentives opposing the expansion of ancap can also be broken down into similar categories.
Coercive. Some external force, such as the state or a corporation, may compel people to abandon anarcho-capitalist practices in favor of, say, a power hierarchy, despite the fact that ancap is pleasant and profitable for the people. Such coercion may even have some small inertia due to learned helplessness, but its effect easily fades away as soon as it weakens or ceases.
Emotional. People may enjoy giving up freedom for the happiness of being cogs in a mighty machine, even if this machine drains them dry without providing adequate reward. However, they are unlikely to last long in such a mode unless these incentives are reinforced by more selfish interests.
Economic. As with the incentives toward freedom, this category provides the most reliable and long-term effect. People may support practices that ensure coerced labor or forced redistribution simply because they benefit from it.
Thus, the task of building ancap can be reduced to working on strengthening the incentives for its expansion and neutralizing the incentives for its contraction, with the economic group of incentives providing the most long-term and reliable effect. But if for a particular group of people economic incentives are too weak or difficult to provide, the other two types of motivation come to the rescue.