Abstract
Like Austin’s “performatives”, some models are used not merely to represent, but also to change their targets. This paper argues that Austin’s analysis can inform model evaluation: if models are evaluated with respect to whether they are adequate for particular purposes (Parker 2020), and if performativity can sometimes be regarded as a model purpose (a proposition that is defended, using mechanism design as an example), it follows that these models can be evaluated with respect to their “felicity”, i.e. whether their use has achieved this purpose. Finally, I respond to epistemic and ethical concerns that might block this conclusion.
