Article
Policies with Varying Costs and Benefits: A Land Conservation Classroom Game
The Journal of Economic Education
(2016)
Abstract
Some policies try to maximize net benefits by targeting different individuals to participate. This is difficult when costs and benefits of participation vary independently, such as in land conservation. The authors share a classroom game that explores cases in which minimizing costs may not maximize benefits and vice versa. The game is a contextually rich pedagogical tool, putting students in the role of landowners who must decide whether to conserve land in different policy environments: flat conservation payments, agglomeration bonuses, and a conservation auction. Students learn about specific issues in land conservation, ecosystem services, preferences for nonmoney outcomes, and general issues in policymaking. The game is suited to classes in environmental, resource, agricultural, and policy economics, and more general classes in microeconomics and public policy.
Disciplines
Publication Date
2016
DOI
10.1080/00220485.2016.1146098
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2016 Informa UK Limited
Citation Information
Dissanayake, S. T., & Jacobson, S. A. (2016). Policies with varying costs and benefits: A land conservation classroom game. The Journal of Economic Education, 47(2), 142-160.