ECS0010

December 31, 2015

Learn how a community builds wealth by playing the Dollar Game, a role-playing exercise for team or individual play. The six-round, nontraditional educational program, which can be incorporated into a workshop or class, helps players grasp complex economic concepts, like value added and wealth concentration and how import and export activities fundamentally alter an economy's structure. It also provides opportunities to apply the concepts learned via discussions of local historic developments and their impact on the economy. Available as a PowerPoint slideshow or in pdf format, a full game typically lasts two-three hours, and comes with tokens, role cards and dollar bills.

Authors: Paul A. Lewin, Extension specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, University of Idaho; Willem J. Braak, Independent Consultant, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and former Extension educator, University of Idaho