POLICY BRIEFING: PUBLIC HEALTH

Science & Evidence

Empirical Foundations for the South Australia Peace Project

1. The Principle of Social Coherence

The SA Peace Project is based on the principle of Social Coherence. Research suggests that high-intensity societal stress acts as a precursor to acute physiological and behavioral crises. By introducing a “coherence-generating” group, we can measurably dampen this background stress field.

The Threshold Formula:

√(1% of Population)

For South Australia (~1.8m people), the critical mass required is 425 participants.

2. Peer-Reviewed Research Data

The following studies represent the academic basis for our projections regarding Emergency Department (ED) reductions and community safety.

Source / Journal	Key Outcome	Relevance to SA Health
Social Indicators Research (Vol. 82)	15.4% Reduction in violent crime.	Directly reduces ED admissions for trauma and assault.
Psychosomatic Medicine (Vol. 49)	50% Lower medical utilization.	Long-term reduction in elective and acute healthcare burdens.
Journal of Conflict Resolution (Vol. 32)	Reduction in “Phase Transition” stress.	Explains the rapid 14-day shift in community behavior.
Journal of Mind and Behavior	Decrease in Psychiatric Admissions.	Alleviates pressure on Mental Health triage and “bed-blocking.”

3. The 14-Day Trajectory

Evidence from intervention studies (such as the 1993 Washington D.C. study) shows that public health and safety metrics do not improve linearly, but rather through a Phase Transition. Once the coherence group reaches the required threshold, the statistical “dip” in acute incidents typically becomes significant within 10 to 14 days.

Expected Result: A 5% to 15% reduction in Emergency Department admissions related to cardiac events, psychiatric crises, and domestic violence incidents.

Note for Ministers and Policy Advisors: The SA Peace Project offers a non-invasive, cost-effective supplement to existing public health frameworks. We invite departmental scrutiny of the cited literature.

Fig 1. Correlation: Coherence Group vs. Population Stress

Source: National Demonstration Project, Washington D.C.

PREDICTED (Business as Usual)

ACTUAL POPULATION RESPONSE (-23.3%)

COHERENCE GROUP GROWTH (0 to 4,000)

Week 1 (Commencement)
Week 4 (Threshold Met)
Week 8 (Peak Result)

Interpretation for Policy Makers: The correlation is inverse. As the Coherence Group (the shaded blue area) reaches the required threshold, the Actual Population Stress (the red line) drops significantly below the predicted historical average. This demonstrates the “Field Effect” where a small group influences the health and behavior of the entire population.

Metric	Current State (No Group)	Target State (150 Group)	Potential Impact
Social Stress Levels	High (Current Baseline)	Low (Coherent)	Phase Transition
Annual Crime Costs	$2.2 Billion (Est.)	$1.76 Billion	$440M Savings
Daily Cost of Delay	$1.2 Million	$0	Urgent Priority