This paper describes a simple classroom experiment in which students decide
which projects to fund on the basis of majority voting. Several agendas ar
e used to generate a voting cycle and an inefficiently high level of public
spending. Classroom discussion allows students to discover for themselves
how to manipulate outcomes through agenda design and strategic voting. The
exercise leads naturally to a discussion of political institutions and the
size of government.
Use: This experiment can be used in introductory and public economics class
es to teach concepts of voting cycles and inefficiencies in public choice.
Time required: Twenty minutes for reading instructions and taking votes and
15 minutes for discussion.
Materials: A printout of the instructions for each participant and one deck
of ordinary playing cards for each group of seven voters.