Role-play can be especially useful for helping students to understand why people in positions of authority can come into conflict with the people they are in charge of. Get one person to play a police officer and have him leave the room while you set everyone else up as witnesses and suspects in a crime scene. The policeman can then come in and try to determine the guilty party. Assign the actual guilt by a random procedure. To explore the issues involved give each of the witnesses particular goals or desires, such as giving the person playing a shopkeeper the goal of permanently dispersing the gang of youths that hangs around outside of his shop. This will prejudice his answers to the policeman's questions and highlights how vested interests will influence the decisions that those in authority make.
One of the most fundamental issues that needs to explored when looking at social themes is how limited resources should be allocated. Imagine that a set of groups are petitioning the mayor of the city to spend a lump sum of cash on a particular project, such as investing in a new bus service for the elderly or building a play park in a disadvantaged area. Give each group a social project and chose one group to stand as the mayor and related officials. Let each group present their case and face questions from the others and then let the mayor and his team decide on which project receives the money.
One interesting way to get students to better understand issues to with prohibition and law breaking is to get them to imagine that something that today is accepted as quite common place has been banned. Choose something like football and tell them that it has been banned because of the number of injuries it causes. Give one person the role of an avid or professional football player facing losing his livelihood and passion. Give another person the role of the legislator supporting the ban and give others students the roles of various interested parties, such as the mother of an injured child.
It can be illuminating for students studying politics and social issues to use role-plays that explore the difficulties related to group decision making. A good example is to get them to imagine that they are on a lifeboat that is slowly sinking and will sink completely unless two of the people on board are put overboard. See if they can come to a decision about what to do within a time limit. Make it the rule that if a person is outnumbered three to one then they cannot resist being thrown over board by force. They may decide to vote, to draw lots or simply abstain and all drown. Remind them that, just because they are selected by vote or poll doesn't mean they have to agree to go along with the plan, and if they can rally supporters they can resist it. You can have the students play themselves in this new situation, or take on the roles of people with different personalities and backgrounds.