What equilibrium means
Nash equilibrium is about stability rather than goodness. A situation can be stable even if the collective outcome is inefficient or undesirable.
That distinction matters for governance because groups can get stuck in patterns nobody likes enough to defend as ideal.
Why incentives matter
Changing a decision rule changes what behavior is cheap, costly, visible, or strategic.
Mechanism design pays attention to those incentives rather than treating votes as neutral measurements.
How Nicolas relates
Nicolas does not claim to compute equilibria or guarantee equilibrium behavior.
It uses an explicit quadratic cost rule and delegation model so participants can inspect the incentives created by the decision process.