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There are several reasons why one might choose to use System.Runtime.Caching or System.Web.Caching instead of static variables:

1. Scalability: Static variables are stored in memory on a per-process basis, which means they are not shared across multiple instances of an application running on multiple servers. System.Runtime.Caching or System.Web.Caching can be configured to use a distributed cache, which means that data can be shared across multiple instances of the application running on multiple servers.

2. Performance: Static variables are accessed synchronously, which can result in contention and reduced performance in highly concurrent scenarios. System.Runtime.Caching or System.Web.Caching can be accessed asynchronously, which can improve performance in highly concurrent scenarios.

3. Expiration and eviction: System.Runtime.Caching and System.Web.Caching provide built-in expiration and eviction policies, which can automatically remove items from the cache when they are no longer needed. This can be more efficient than manually managing static variables.

4. Configurability: System.Runtime.Caching and System.Web.Caching provide many configuration options, including the ability to specify cache size, cache eviction policies, and cache dependencies. These options make it easier to configure caching to suit specific application needs.

Overall, using a caching framework like System.Runtime.Caching or System.Web.Caching can provide better scalability, performance, and configurability than using static variables for caching.