About This Simulation
This simulation invites you to analyse technology not as a neutral tool, but as a political object governed through institutions, markets, and norms. You will compare how different states exercise technological power and navigate decision scenarios that reveal the tensions between capability, control, and legitimacy. There are no optimal choices — only trade-offs that reveal how structural position shapes action.
1. Compare States
Examine six states across the Global North and South. Each has a distinct technological profile shaped by R&D investment, digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and international positioning. Use the three-lens framework to analyse how technological power manifests differently across contexts.
2. Navigate Decisions
Take on the role of a state's technology policy team facing critical decisions. Each option involves trade-offs between building capability, maintaining control, and preserving legitimacy. Crucially, the same decision produces different outcomes depending on which state you represent.
3. Analyse Outcomes
See how your decisions interact with your state's structural position. Discover why technological capability does not translate uniformly into political influence, and how institutional constraints shape what actions appear legitimate — and to whom.
4. Reflect & Debrief
Engage with structured reflection prompts aligned with the course's learning objectives. Consider how different states would face the same scenario differently, and what this reveals about power, authority, and interdependence in contemporary global politics.
Learning Objectives
- Analyse technology as a source of power, constraint, and political authority
- Compare how different states exercise technological power across regions and regime types
- Apply qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess technological leverage
- Critically evaluate claims about dominance, dependence, and autonomy in the digital era
- Recognise that identical policy choices produce divergent outcomes depending on structural position
This simulation works best when students in the same session play as different states. Assign 2–3 students per state, then have each group present their decisions and compare outcomes. Pause between scenarios for 3–5 minutes of structured discussion: "Why did the same option produce different results for the US and Nigeria?"
The debrief questions are designed for small-group discussion (10–15 minutes) followed by plenary synthesis.