How the FOLK Scores Were Built
Methodology note: the four orientations, the statistical baseline, and the AI-council scoring
The scores were produced in three stages: a statistical stage that defined the four orientations and a starting baseline number for each country; an AI council stage that reviewed evidence and qualitative literature; and an integrator stage that set the final published score.
Defining the Four Orientations (Statistics)
Five established cultural frameworks were used as inputs: Hofstede, Trompenaars, GLOBE, Schwartz, and the World Values Survey (WVS). Supplying thirty-four cultural indicators across ~25 complete-data countries, factor analysis (Multiple Factor Analysis) was run to find how many distinct underlying orientations were present. It empirically identified four.
The name FOLK encodes Four Orientations of Life and Kinship:
- Kinship (Who you belong to & show it)• Identity (Social → Self): Where identity sits — group vs. individual.
• Expression (Restrained → Open): How openly warmth and emotion are displayed. - Life (How you organize & strive)• Structure (Fluid → Certain): Preference for rules vs. flexibility.
• Drive (Accepting → Striving): Contentment vs. competitive achievement.
Sample Expansion & MICE Imputation
| Framework Coverage Level | Countries Scored |
|---|---|
| All five frameworks | ~27 countries |
| At least four | 60 countries |
| At least three | 84 countries |
| At least two | 120 countries |
| At least one | 171 countries |
| No framework data (Extension) | 26 countries (Direct AI Council Evaluation) |
Missing values for 171 countries with partial framework data were filled via MICE (Multivariate Imputation by Chained Equations, 40 draws). Stability was validated using Tucker's φ (0.95+ green). The remaining 26 countries with no framework data were evaluated directly by the AI Council from qualitative evidence.
FOLK Factor Structure Matrix (36 Indicators)
Cross-framework factor loadings across Hofstede (HOF), GLOBE (GLO), Schwartz (SCH), World Values Survey (WVS), and Trompenaars (TRO).
| FW | Attribute / Indicator | D1 (Identity) | D2 (Expression) | D3 (Structure) | D4 (Drive) | Assigned | Notes & Mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WVS | Choice | 0.959 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| WVS | Equality | 0.915 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| GLO | GLOBE UA — conformity pressure | -0.904 | — | — | — | D1 | Social pole (Empirical surprise) |
| SCH | Embeddedness | -0.892 | — | — | — | D1 | Social pole |
| HOF | Individualism | 0.872 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| HOF | Power Distance | -0.872 | — | — | — | D1 | Social pole |
| SCH | Affective Autonomy | 0.854 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| SCH | Intellectual Autonomy | 0.841 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| TRO | Ascription-Achievement | 0.841 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| TRO | Particularism-Universalism | 0.775 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| TRO | Diffuse-Specific | 0.756 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| WVS | Voice | 0.675 | 0.461 | — | — | D1 | Also Open: Voice = self-expression & open communication |
| SCH | Hierarchy | -0.646 | — | — | — | D1 | Social pole |
| TRO | Communitarianism-Individualism | 0.640 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| SCH | Egalitarianism | 0.591 | 0.683 | — | — | D1 | Also Open: flat social relations produce autonomy & openness |
| GLO | Gender Egalitarianism | 0.539 | 0.636 | — | — | D1 | Also Open: flat gender norms |
| WVS | Defiance | 0.521 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| WVS | Autonomy | 0.501 | — | — | — | D1 | Self pole |
| GLO | Institutional Collectivism | -0.510 | 0.568 | — | — | D1 | Social pole & Open (in-group warmth) |
| HOF | Long-Term Orientation | — | -0.807 | — | — | D2 | Restrained pole |
| HOF | Indulgence | — | 0.797 | — | — | D2 | Open pole |
| TRO | Future-Past Orientation | -0.811 | -0.807 | — | — | D2 | Past-oriented = Social & Restrained |
| GLO | In-Group Collectivism | — | 0.625 | — | — | D2 | Open pole |
| GLO | Power Distance (practices) | — | -0.547 | — | -0.620 | D2 | Restrained pole & Accepting |
| WVS | Scepticism | — | 0.490 | — | — | D2 | Open pole |
| GLO | Humane Orientation | — | 0.455 | — | — | D2 | Open pole |
| GLO | Assertiveness | — | -0.494 | -0.573 | — | D2 | Restrained pole & Fluid |
| HOF | Uncertainty Avoidance | — | — | 0.858 | 0.333 | D3 | Certain pole & Striving |
| SCH | Harmony | — | — | 0.589 | — | D3 | Certain pole |
| GLO | Future Orientation | — | — | 0.420 | — | D3 | Reassigned from D2 (Planning = managing uncertainty) |
| SCH | Mastery | — | — | — | 0.680 | D4 | Striving pole |
| WVS | Relativism | — | — | — | -0.644 | D4 | Accepting pole |
| GLO | Performance Orientation | — | — | — | 0.425 | D4 | Reassigned from D2 (Achievement = Drive) |
| HOF | Masculinity | — | — | — | 0.231 | D4 | Striving pole |
| TRO | Affective-Neutral | 0.415 | -0.510 | — | — | Cross | Spreads across D1 & D2 |
| TRO | External-Internal | 0.550 | 0.420 | — | — | Cross | Spreads across D1 & D2 (Internal control = Self & Open) |
The Baseline Score & Remaining Statistical Issues
Statistical baseline scores were accompanied by confidence intervals (e.g. Bhutan Identity: baseline 45, interval 28.6–57.2). However, raw statistical scores suffered from three limitations:
Multi-Agent AI Council Architecture
To prevent single-model confirmation bias, the council runs six specialized expert roles across multiple underlying language models (Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek):
Kinship, ritual, custom, and everyday practice.
The state, law, religion, and how rules and power operate.
Keeps the score consistent with quantitative data and baseline.
Checks the score against regional peer groups and similar countries.
Supplies qualitative nuance and country-specific detail.
Argues against the emerging answer and finds the weakest point.
Formulaic Score Pipeline to Final Decision
MFA Factor Baseline
Weighted Vote Average
Formulaic & Reproducible
Integrator LLM Decision
34 Indicators • 197 Countries • 1 Model
Factor analysis over 34 indicators defined the baseline; six specialized AI council agents reviewed qualitative evidence; and an Integrator set the final score.