A public policy study is a teaching tool:
By presenting a detailed account of a policy issue,
it
allows readers
to situate themselves in the complexity of real-world policymaking, adopt different vantage points,
apply knowledge,
develop analytical skills and acquire insight about larger policy principles. It usually frames the
policy situation
as one of tension, due to diverse perspectives and ideas, or competing interests and institutions.
-
Ideas: From political ideologies to social attitudes, how policymakers and the public think about
a
policy issue
determine what is identified as a problem, how that problem is explained, and what are considered
appropriate
solutions. Cases help to highlight different interpretations of a situation and allow the reader
to
reflect on a
range of possible policy responses.
-
Interests: Policies often create winners and losers, people who benefit from particular decisions
and others who
are penalized. Case studies illustrate how policymakers make decisions by considering the
competing
interests of
various stakeholders, and the costs and consequences of any course of action, so that readers can
weigh the
trade-offs associated with policymaking.
-
Institutions: Institutions play a key role in organising public life. They include the
organisations
through
which society is governed, as well as informal rules and established ways of doing things. Cases
explore how
policymakers are locked in by past decisions, how change often happens only in small incremental
steps, but also
how policy legacies can sometimes be upturned.
There are three common types of case study:
-
The decision case discusses how decision-makers have to consider various perspectives given the
incomplete
information at a point in time and come to a decision recognising the trade-offs that have to be
made.
-
The documentation case discusses the historical context of a policy situation and how things came
to
be. It
documents policy ‘branch points’ or moments when different options were available and the
consequences of
particular choices.
-
The issues case discusses different aspects of a topic or trend, highlighting complexity and
uncertainty, and
often compares how different governments and organisations manage the policy issue.
Cases are usually used in a pedagogical setting. As such, a case study is not a literature review to
identify gaps
in research, not an argument for a particular perspective, not advocacy for certain recommendations,
not about
policy evaluation, and not simply a collation of facts. Instead, the key is to emphasise the tension
between policy
choices, and what it means for the decision-maker, the organisation, the interest groups concerned
and
the general
public. The goal is to set out the policy context and possible repercussions, so that readers may
navigate the issue
for themselves.
Additional resources:
- Derek Abell, “What makes a Good case” in ECCHO: The Newsletter of the European Case Clearing
House, Fall 1997.
- Michael J. Roberts, “Developing a Teaching Case (Abridged).” Harvard Business School Background
Note 901-055.
June, 2001 (Revised March 2012).
- Stanford Law School, “10 Tips for Developing Effective Policy Case Studies,” Year unknown, https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Writing-Policy-Case-Studies-Guidelines.pdf
- The Case Centre, “Writing cases: a brief guide”, 2020, https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/casemethod/resources/writingcases
- Emerald Group Publishing, “eCases: Writing Teaching Cases” in Author how-to guides. 2019, https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/sites/default/files/2020-02/guide-writing-cases.pdf
- Anne Lan K. Candelaria, “Protocol for case study writing” in Politics & Ideas. 2013, http://www.politicsandideas.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PI-Case-Study-Protocol.pdf
University of Hull, “Other assessments: Case studies” in SkillsGuides, June 2020, https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/other/cases
Our case studies adhere to our in-house LKYSPP Case Writing Technical Guidelines