http://www.wordspy.com/words/tippingpoint.aspn. In epidemiology, the concept that small changes will have little or no effect on a system until a critical mass is reached. Then a further small change "tips" the system and a large effect is observed.
Hier wird 'tipping point' definiert, als der Punkt an dem eine (weitere) Kleinigkeit, plötzlich große Auswirkungen hat.
Klingt, wie der berühmte 'Tropfen, der das Fass zum Überlaufen bringt'...
"What it does mean is that the countywide solution . . . has kept the proportion of black enrollees in the individual schools at a level below the 'tipping point,' thereby minimizing the outflow of white students," the report concluded.
Hier wäre vielleicht 'Schmerzgrenze' möglich (in Deutschland, aber lieber in Anführungszeichen!)
[...] Argues that indus conflict drops in rough relationship to success of welfare-state policies in making govt the instrucment for allocating GNP shares. Cautions that tipping point may be reached when state controls more than 50% of natl income.
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