Introducing the Global Coherence Index (GCI)

A New Framework for Measuring Alignment in a Fragmented World
By Quinn Riana Pascal (QRP513)

We’re living in a time of layered dissonance: international institutions are mistrusted, wars are ongoing, and signals of collapse echo across semantic, political, and ecological systems.

In response to this, I’ve just published the first version of a working paper introducing the Global Coherence Index (GCI)—a proposed tool for tracking coherence across international systems.

What is the GCI?

The GCI offers a framework for measuring semantic, institutional, and spatial coherence:

• Semantic Coherence asks: Do our words and meanings align across contexts, cultures, and actors?
• Institutional Coherence asks: Do institutions act in ways that reflect shared values and legitimate governance?
• Spatial Coherence asks: Do actions, responsibilities, and realities align across geopolitical and abstract scales?

The GCI draws from international relations theory, systems thinking, Constructivism, and spatial analysis. But it also gestures toward something new—emergent diplomacy, where coherence becomes a proactive strategy for peace and repair.

Why Now?

Too often, global security tools react to visible crises—once the damage has already occurred.
The GCI asks: What if we could see the patterns of incoherence before the eruption?
Instead of waiting for systems to break, we could begin tracking the breakdowns in meaning, legitimacy, and alignment that signal deeper instabilities.

What’s Next?

This is version 1.0. A first articulation. A signal.
The GCI is not yet a live index—it is a working model, an interdisciplinary call for collaboration, critique, testing, and expansion.

If you’re a researcher, policymaker, technologist, or dreamer—your voice is welcome.
Let’s build a shared vocabulary for coherence that bridges global analysis and grounded action.

Read the full paper on:
[Zenodo – https://zenodo.org/records/15556712]
[ResearchGate — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392237076_… ]

Watch the intro video: https://youtu.be/n-94resXr98?si=GDn3f6C70zAA683G

This project began in silence. The first video reflects the weight of that silence—a message more read than sung. But coherence is a process, and so is voice. I’m learning to let mine come through, one signal at a time.