Assumption of the Ability to Scale
We sometimes assume that since something works on a small scale, it will linearly adapt to a larger scale with the same odds of success. A form of “anecdotalism.”
Examples
Just because universal healthcare works in a country like Norway (pop: 9 million) doesn’t mean the same thing would work in the United States (pop: 330 million). Having 30x the number of people would introduce vastly different problems to solve.
Companies often get “stuck” at a certain level of business. They can’t seem to break out of a revenue plateau, because what worked at a smaller size doesn’t scale to a larger size. Thus, a common phrase is “how do we get to the next level?”
A low-income worker might be getting income assistance that ceases if they reach a certain level of income. Thus, it becomes hard to “scale” past that level of income because structural changes happen at that level.