In order to prepare new generations of politicians for the crises of the future, a political simulation designed by historians, economics, scientists and other experts may be the ideal tool to equip future politicians with the necessary knowledge and skills.
(Another Political Idea of mine)
Political and economical crises have existed for centuries, and global warming is going to confront us with even more challenges – from heatwaves to floodings. Consequently, the new generation of politicians should be taught and undergo a training which deals with the issues of crisis and how to manage them.
In this blog entry, I’ll present what I have come up with thus far. Now to the PSSEP…
Some jobs require stricter testing which also involves practice in simulated environments (e.g. astronauts are trained under water to simulate gravity of space) and/or with machines specifically designed to simulate an aircraft (e.g. pilots).
Since politicians bear also a responsibility, especially when in government, it would only make sense for them to undergo a similar training – regardless how conservative or liberal they are.
There are two different kind of simulations:
1. Past Crisis
A crisis of the past, like the economic crash in 1929 or the Great Recession in 2007/2008, is chosen. The participants are given the knowledge that was available at the time and then need to make decisions to avert the crisis or mitigate its effects.
Historians and other experts then analyse their solution and tell them the results.
It continues until the crisis has been fully averted, the effects mitigated, or the crisis escalated.
2. Future Crisis
A future crisis is based on current trends (e.g. conflicts between two neighbouring nations) and other issues, such as climate change. The politicians-to-be are confronted with a natural disaster or a political conflict, whereas the latter can range from increasing tensions to full-scale war between two nations.
During the simulated crisis they are allowed to ask historians for background information on the nation involved, or other experts (depending on the scenario).
As with the Past Crisis, here the crisis is also either fully averted, the effects mitigated or the crisis ecalated.
Afterwards, a constructive feedback is given to the politicians-to-be and how they can improve in new simulations. I’d recommend at least 3 crisis simulations to be obligatory, here listed shortly why:
- The first crisis is from the difficulty the easiest and serves as a settling-in period.
- In the second, the standard difficulty (in Past Crisis the historically accurate version) is set. Due to the settling-in period, the participants may react now better.
- Lastly, the third crisis simulation is the hardest from the difficulty (e.g. pandemic + corruption affair). After all, one does not know what they mave have to face in the future.
The length between the simulations should be around 1-2 months, otherwise the participants may forget lessons that were learned last time. The simulations themselves take 2-3 days (can be longer if necessary). On the last day the feedback is given.
Crisis Prevention
At the end of the three simulations, the participants are then asked to lay out a plan how they would have prevented the crisis from occuring in the first place. Here, historians and scientists are also allowed to give background knowledge on topics – as they could in real politics with advisors.
Their plan is then analyzed and a feedback given as well (e.g. from „crisis fully prevented“ to „crisis merely delayed“ or, in the worst case, „crisis worsened“).
Certification
Once the training is concluded, the participants receive a certificate that they attended the simulations. Of course, this parts has to be fleshed out.
Local Variations
It isn’t just about national politics. Smaller versions could also exist on a regional level that deals with crisis that affected a specific area or even the whole region.
The approach would be the same, however (three simulations, kind of simulations, etc.).
End
Thank you for reading! If you have something to add, constructive feedback is welcome!
Baroque 