"The Voltage Effect," explores the science of scaling ideas in the real world. List argues that even the most promising ideas can falter when they are scaled up, experiencing what he calls a "voltage drop." He identifies five key obstacles to scaling success: false positives, representativeness of the population and situation, negative spillovers, the cost trap, and unsustainable costs. The text provides numerous case studies from List's own research and experience, exploring how these hurdles have impacted businesses, nonprofits, and government initiatives. Ultimately, the excerpt aims to equip readers with a framework for understanding the challenges of scaling and for developing strategies to overcome them, ultimately achieving "voltage gain" and realizing an idea's full potential.