9. How to Run an Economy

Now that we have played the game, and have seen how economies run, let's take a minute to wrap this up. Check out the questions below, in the imbedded google doc.

For teams that did not survive to the end of the simulation, please answer the questions in red.

For teams that survived to the end, please answer the questions in blue.

For teams that started with 50 Baldicer, please answer the questions in green. (Do these ones, not the blue ones).

After we discuss these questions we will talk about the questions in black.

If you did not make it to the end of the game, why not?

Why did others survive and you didn’t?

What did you need to do so you could survive?

If you made it to the end of the game, why?

Why did others fail?

Could you have helped others survive if you wanted to?

If you started with 50 Baldicer, at what point did you know that you were the “big dog”?

Did you choose to help the other people in your class? Why did you help them, or why did you let them fail?

Was this something in it for you if you helped?

Would you change the way you played the game, either to improve yourself, or to save yourself?

What kind of economy did this represent?

Did it work? If yes, why? If it didn’t work, what would make it work?

What was key to surviving the game without getting help from someone else?

What was the key to surviving if you weren’t “self-sufficient”?

In a word, what did the teams with food machines have?

Now let's let you make the decision.

Scenario:

The world is full of cars, and those cars need gas to run the engines. In the city of Perfection there has always been 5 or 6 different gas stations that one could buy fuel for their cars. As we know from social studies class, having multiple sources to buy the product (gasoline) from means that they have to compete for the consumer's dollar, and that will keep prices low. Lately, however, it seems that GasBlasters convenience store seems to be buying up the other places that sell fuel.

In fact, as of today, GasBlasters now owns all of the other gas stations in town. They haven't closed any of the locations, but the money is all going back to Monte Grubber, the owner of GasBlasters. The price of gas has risen from $2.09 to $3.14 in just two weeks time.

The people that are working for GasBlasters all received big raises. They had been making $9.10/hour. Their raises now have them making $13.50/hour. GasBlasters has also hired at least 15 new people to work for them.

Your job:

Government group-

Consider this-> Prices are being driven up for the regular consumer because of this situation. Gas is something everyone needs, and if they have to pay more for gas then they won't have money to buy other things, which could stall out the overall economy. However, GasBlasters is hiring people and paying them better than they have every been paid, which puts more money into the overall economy.

You must first decide if this is a monopoly. Then, you must decide if you are going to allow it or if you are going to do something about it. If you do something, what are you going to do? Your decision will have consequences on all of Perfection, so make a wise choice.

Worker group-

Consider this-> You realize that your employer is raising prices and making even more money than ever before. Though you have just received a raise in your earnings, you feel that Monte Grubber could have given you a much larger raise. You feel that he is holding out in order to let him reap the benefits of the higher gas prices and not sharing that profit with the people that work for him and make it a possibility. Monte says that he is compensating his people very fairly considering that the work to be done is not very difficult.

You must first decide if you are okay with $13.50/hour as a wage. This equates out to about $28,080 per year that you will make. This is on the low end of a livable wage, which means that you will be living right at the poverty line. If you are not comfortable with this compensation then you have must decide what to do. The obvious decision is to go on strike. However, this also means that you won't be paid during the strike and Monte Grubber might hire other people to fill your job. Your decision will have a major affect on your family, and could affect all of perfection, so make a wise choice.