Nov 12, 2021
Who buys a pig in a poke?: Classroom game with Prof. Leßmann at the Junior Doctor Program
An unusual scene in the faculty ballroom. Curious young researchers from the Junior Doctor Program, aged 10 to 14, took part in a classroom game on the topic of adverse selection on Nov. 10, 2021. "The kids are super smart and see through the incentive systems incredibly quickly," says Prof. Dr. Christian Leßmann, initiator of the course. In the game, the children learned in a playful way why markets do not work if the quality or properties of the offered goods are not known. After all, no one really wants to buy a pig in a poke at the market instead of a busy hen. In fact, the little ones behave like the big ones and try to rip off their classmates as soon as they get the chance in the experiment. Prof. Leßmann is enthusiastic about the results: "The kids quickly found solutions for the problem: Guarantees, labels and quality seals, reputation building and rights of return were mentioned, and thus pretty much everything that companies do voluntarily in reality or are mandated by the state."
Further information about the Junior Doctor Program of the TU Dresden