Scarcity and Strategy

Wood burning locomotives being serviced before the 2000 mile trip West. Early 1870’s Norwalk Ohio, USA.

A truly dynamic model of a market system.

This website is dedicated to those interested in economic thought. The Scarcity and Strategy computer program is an advanced simulation model, created to present a theoretical economy of a modern developed nation. It is presented and supported by this website. This simulation stands alone as both a reasonably comprehensive and user friendly model.

The components of Scarcity and Strategy are (1) a business sector showing the production of real goods and services in an eight industry model, (2) a labor sector whch identifies the amount, skill level and wage of the labor force, (3) an input-output table which specifies the input amount in units and the cost of inputs in the current year, and (4) a government sector allows simple monetary, fiscal and price control decisions.

Why is this simulation revolutionary for the student of economics?

The participant may work with economic policies and concepts to attain understandable results over many years.
The Gross Domestic Product is a direct result of the behavior of firms and industries in the microeconomy - including the wages paid to labor
The profits and costs of the firms are available annually and cumulatively
Unemployment is calculated annually, not ignored or assumed away
A price index measures real magnitude changes over extended periods
The simulated economy generates annual results which create a business cycle of up to 200 years
An innovative grading method allows judgement of the strength of a business cycle over time
A validity check is available, so when an overall starting point is adequately tested, the range of annual change in GDP, prices, and unemployment is generally within the standard pattern for developed economies
Variable manipulation may provide a billion outcomes; escape the whiteboard models - experimentation is possible, welcome and encouraged