The Mercury Game: Evaluating a Negotiation Simulation that Teaches Students about Science–Policy Interactions
Name
MITJPSPGC_Rpt255.pdf
Description
Main article
Size
697.3 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e6659dbe7d5d40d228b72d7f1e52ac37
Author(s)
Stokes, Leah C.
Selin, Noelle E.
Date Issued
January 2014
Publisher
MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change
Citation
Report 255
Series/Report no.
MIT Joint Program Report Series;255
Abstract
Environmental negotiations and policy decisions take place at the science–policy interface. While this is well known in academic literature, it is often difficult to convey how science and policy interact to students in environmental studies and sciences courses. We argue that negotiation simulations, as an experiential learning tool, are one effective way to teach students about how science and policy interact in decision-making. We developed a negotiation simulation, called the Mercury Game, based on the global mercury treaty negotiations. To evaluate the game, we conducted surveys before and after the game was played in university classrooms across North America. For science students, the simulation communicates
how politics and economics affect environmental negotiations. For environmental studies and policy students, the mercury simulation demonstrates how scientific uncertainty can affect decision-making. Using
the mercury game as an education tool allows students to learn about complex interactions between science and society and develop communication skills.
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