This week we are adding the Red/Green Simulation, by James R. Bruehler, Alan P. Grant, and Linda S. Ghent (Journal of Economics and Finance Education 2017).

The paper is available on the site of the (open access) journal, and the game is in the “externalities and public goods section” on our site.

 

 

Abstract of the paper:

“Collective action problems are at the heart of many economic issues. Often, students have trouble comprehending how society ends up with a less than optimal outcome, and may incorrectly assume that someone must want the outcome that occurs. Correcting this error is made difficult by the biases that students bring to these issues.
The Red/Green simulation demonstrates the tension between self-interest and the social good in a context-free manner allowing students to see that these sub-optimal outcomes may not be desired by anyone, but instead can result from unhealthy systems of incentives.”

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