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Collective action

A good first activity

Collective actionCoordinationIncentives

Collective action, coordination & selective incentives

The Square

Everyone wants change. Who’s going to show up?

You are one citizen among twenty. Predict what the others will do, decide whether to act and test what changes when incentives and communication shift. Shared interests are only the beginning.

How it runsSolo simulation
Time to plan45–55 min · with optional discussion
What you produceForecasts, choices and reasoning record
Just exploring Written notes optionalFor class Required responses

The same political choices in both routes. You can switch inside without starting over. For class asks you to complete any missing required responses. Save a report in either route; your instructor decides what to accept.

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Small figures gather around a red square against a vivid blue background.
POSSIBLE STATESTopic: Collective action

What you can explore

  • Explain pivotality and the difference between individual and collective incentives.
  • Compare communication, coordination and selective incentives.
  • Separate model behavior from empirical prediction.

What the model leaves open

The other nineteen citizens are programmed. Controlled rehearsals illustrate mechanisms; they do not forecast real political behavior.

AFTERWARD, THINK ABOUT

What made acting individually costly or worthwhile?

Teaching this activity Debrief, assessment & assignment draft

Bring it back to the room

  • What made acting individually costly or worthwhile?
  • Which comparison isolates the programmed intervention?

What to assess

Assess payoff reasoning, forecasts and explanation of the comparison. Participation in the model is not a moral grade.

Read the complete teaching guide →

Syllabus description, rubric & printable companion →

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Syllabus description & discussion prompts
Syllabus description
You are one citizen among twenty. Predict what the others will do, decide whether to act and test what changes when incentives and communication shift. Shared interests are only the beginning. Students produce forecasts, choices and reasoning record.
Questions for a discussion board or class debrief
  1. What made acting individually costly or worthwhile?
  2. Which comparison isolates the programmed intervention?
Open printable teaching companion →