Español – Home / Capital; an experiment

Tools

(under construction)

• Detailed instructions (as distributed in the third simulation).

• Production and profit calculator: agents should systematically use this calculator to check whether an exchange or a particular production process is advantageous; see slides 11-13 of the detailed instructions above and the "Simulation" section of the presentation. Download as spreadsheet, or use on Google Sheets.

• Госплан-Gosplan: alternative activity designed to demonstrate the difficulty of the allocation problem; see the "Teaching Tool" section of the paper. Download as spreadsheet, or use on Google Sheets. 

Software

Very provisional. We'll be incorporating more advanced software soon.

For now, we are limiting ourselves to very simple mechanisms, using a spreadsheet service that allows linked forms, but with access through a (free) email account with a password. This only requires that the agents and the administrator have a free account like this and a computer or mobile phone with internet access.

First method: Using Google Sheets

With this procedure the administrator and agents must have a (free) Google account and a computer or mobile phone with internet access. Agents can dynamically check the amounts available to them through exchanges. It is designed to work with up to 100 agents and up to 500 deliveries per session.

• Before a session:

1. The administrator goes to
   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11uQIgby6MH69quf1ij37H-Gn8ZIrKYFlXypZJajBnts/copy and clicks the "Make a copy" button on the page that opens.

2. The administrator types, or copies and pastes, the agents' email addresses and the initial quantities of wheat and iron they have available into the yellow cells of the spreadsheet that opens by default.

3. The administrator distributes the link to this spreadsheet among the agents. To do this, click the "Share" button on the spreadsheet; under "General Access," set "Anyone with the link" as "Reader," click "Copy link," and then click the "Done" button. Distribute the link via email, WhatsApp, etc.

• During the time dedicated to exchanges:

1. The administrator enables agents to start submissions. To do this, they access their Google Drive account, open the "Capital Copy, Submissions" form, and click the "Copy Respondent Link" icon at the top. They distribute the link to the agents via email, WhatsApp, etc.

2. Once the submission stage is complete, the administrator deletes the submission form from their Drive. Agents will no longer be able to submit submissions.

• During the time dedicated to production:

1. The administrator enables agents to complete the production. To do this, they access their Google Drive account, open the "Capital Copy, Production" form, and click the "Copy Respondent Link" icon at the top. They distribute the link to the agents via email, WhatsApp, etc.

2. Agents will not be able to view other agents' submissions and will only be able to use the form once.

3. Once the production phase is complete, the administrator deletes the form from their Drive account. Agents who have not used the form will have the default production.

4. The administrator displays the hidden "Production" sheet by clicking the three-line icon below, and agents will be able to view the quantities available for the next session.

Second Method: without Internet or with web forms

To use it, a delivery and production calculator is available, which allows you to calculate the quantities available for each agent with the succession of exchanges, and the productions:

• • For up to 100 agents and 500 deliveries: download as spreadsheet (5 Mb), or use in Google Sheets;

  • For up to 200 agents and 1000 deliveries: download as spreadsheet (19 Mb), or use in Google Sheets.

With this procedure agents can't dynamically determine the amounts they have available after a delivery unless they keep track themselves or use the calculator by copying and pasting. 

It can be used in two ways:

1. If the agents or administrator don't have internet access, they must record submissions and productions in the calculator;

2. If the agents and administrator have internet access, it can be used with any spreadsheet service that allows linked forms, not just Google.

For use with Internet:

• Before each session:

1. The administrator generates a delivery form, with password access, where the agent making the delivery is automatically identified, and the agent then selects the agent who receives each delivery, along with the quantities of wheat and iron delivered. Optionally, the linked spreadsheet can be viewed but not edited by agents, so they can check the dynamic deliveries.

2. The administrator generates a production form, where the agent who performs the production automatically is listed, and where the agent chooses the production process. The form must be accessed with a password, and the linked spreadsheet cannot be publicly viewed or edited.

• In each session:

1. During the time dedicated to exchanges, access to the delivery form is granted. Once the exchange time has elapsed, the administrator closes access to this form.

2. During the time dedicated to production, access to the production form is granted. Once the production time has elapsed, the administrator closes access to the form.

• Once the session is over:

1. The administrator copies and pastes the agents' names or email addresses, the quantities of wheat and iron available before deliveries, and the data from both forms into the delivery calculator. This will calculate the deliveries, discarding illegal ones, and calculate the production available for the next session. The delivery calculator allows users to view, but not edit, the quantities available for the next session on the website.

Español – Home / Capital; an experiment