Replication Data for: Institutions and Arguments: Simulating the U.S. Policymaking Process

In U.S. government courses, simulations have been shown to increase students’ engagement and knowledge retention. We present an original simulation that focuses on both the interactions between political institutions that contribute to policymaking and the normative ideas underlying politics. By exploring a civil rights or liberties policy area, students learn of the importance of both political institutions and foundational political ideas such as liberty and equality. Students play members of Congress, lobbyists for a pro- or anti-natural gas pipeline group, or Supreme Court justices. While many U.S. government simulations aim to teach students about the ways institutions shape policy, this is the first to our knowledge that also integrates normative reflection on the ideas behind political arguments. Assessment indicates that the simulation was effective in increasing students’ knowledge of and/or interest in American political institutions and eminent domain.