Model GATT: A Role-Playing Simulation Course

Role playing has begun to achieve recognition as a valuable exercise in economics courses. Role-playing simulations are used to motivate student participation, improve understanding of reading material, and increase students' enthusiasm for learning course material (Rodgers 1996). Examples include the doubleauction experiment used in many principles courses; the Fed Open Market Committee simulation (Bartlett and Amsler 1979); and, in international economics, the Dutch disease simulation (Rodgers 1996). Those simulations are intended to be a small part of the course in which they are used. Morris (1979) suggests that a simulation may be most effective as a learning experience if it is the focal point of the course and serves to integrate previous learning in the course. In this article, I describe a role-playing exercise that I used as the central focus of an international economics seminar. Although the specific topic of this simulation (GATT negotiations) may be of limited interest, the procedural framework could be applied to a variety of topics, particularly in international economics.