If you really mean a layer above steem, i.e. an app on steem, I'm all for that, and in fact have suggested it.

If you're going to define "incentives" so broadly, it's true what you say. Obviously I meant direct reward based incentives, not more general health-of-the-system ideas, which I agree are relevant. Not to be baked in though on a systems level.

The formalization of the whale experiment are really direct changes. We have the current proposal (which is looking like it will become a reality) of the linear rewards curve as a response to this.