Active Learning in Teaching Public Policy

Problem: Federal Budget Issues and Contraints

Pedagogical Objective: Understand the complexity of the federal budget; understand the relative importance of particular budgetary lines.

Tool: Public Radio International: Budget Hero Budget Simulation

Link to PRI's Budget Hero

Problem: Common Property Issues -- Nobel Prize Illustrative Exercise!

Pedagogical Objective: Understand common property problem, introduce possible policy responses.

Tool: Fishbank

Link to Fishbank Simulation

Background Readings:

Paul Seabright, "Managing Local Commons: Theoretical Issues in Incentive Design", Journal of Economic Perspectives 7(4), Fall 1993: 113-134.

Dietz, T., E. Ostrom, et al. (2003). "The Struggle to Govern the Commons." Science 302(5652): 1907-1912.

John Tierney, "As New Englanders overfish their way to ruin...", New York Times, August 27, 2000.

Problem: Constructed Markets: Health Insurance as a Private Good

Pedogogical Objective: Consider the problem of "managed competition" and

health insurance as a private good. Consider the "Paradox of Choice."

Tool: The Federal Employee's Health Benefit Plan

Action: Acting as a federal government employee (working, say, in zip code 20500),

choose and justify your choice of a health insurance plan.

Link to 2009 FEHBP Plan Choice Page

Background Readings:

Schwartz, B. (2004). The Paradox of Choice. New York, Harper-Collins.

Iyengar, S. S. and M. R. Lepper (2000). "When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79(6): 995-1006.
Alain C. Enthoven and Laura A. Tollen (2005), "Competition in Health Care: It Takes Systems to Pursue Quality and Efficiency", Health Affairs 24: 420-433.


Document URL: http://www.cla.sc.edu/GINT/faculty/tompkins/ActiveLearning/
Published on October 12, 2009. Maintained by Professor Tompkins; Contact Professor Tompkins by e-mail at: tompkins.mark@sc.edu. © Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.