A programme director stands before the Tree of Development. Three branches reach toward the sky — Health, Education, Livelihoods. Every rupee given to one branch is a rupee denied to another. The tree can only flourish if choices are wise.
A programme director stands before the Tree of Development. Three branches reach toward the sky — Health, Education, Livelihoods. Every rupee given to one branch is a rupee denied to another. The tree can only flourish if choices are wise.
Every rupee spent here is a rupee not spent there. Choose wisely.
When India's National Health Mission receives an additional Rs 10,000 crore, that money cannot simultaneously fund Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. The true cost of any choice is what you give up by not choosing the next best alternative. In development, these tradeoffs are everywhere — and they are rarely obvious.
You are a development programme director with 100 budget units each round. Across 6 rounds, allocate your budget among three sectors: Health, Education, and Livelihoods. Each sector follows diminishing returns — the more you invest in one area, the less each additional unit delivers. Your goal: maximise total impact.
Believes in balanced portfolios. Never puts more than 40% in a single sector. "Spread your risks, spread your impact."
Puts 70-90% into whatever he thinks yields the highest return. "Go big or go home — focus wins."
6 rounds of development allocation — here are the final standings.
With the diminishing returns formula impact = amount * (1 - 0.005 * amount), the mathematically optimal allocation is an equal split: 33/33/34 across sectors each round.
Diversification wins by 66%. This is not just math — it reflects a deep truth about development work. The World Bank, UNDP, and national planning commissions must balance competing priorities precisely because concentrated investment hits diminishing returns faster than a diversified portfolio.
Real-world parallel: India's Five Year Plans evolved from heavy-industry concentration (First and Second Plans) toward more balanced sectoral allocation — mirroring the lesson this game teaches.
Development organisations face these tradeoffs every day. A district health officer choosing between more ASHA workers or better supply chains. A state education minister weighing teacher training against school infrastructure. The opportunity cost framework helps us see that the best next rupee is the one with the highest marginal return — and that often means investing where you have invested the least.