This document provides guidelines for creating case studies in public policy and administration, emphasizing the importance of presenting factual, credible information while clearly defining the issue, stakeholders, and recommendations. It outlines the structure and content needed for a case study, including a 4-step policy analysis, and details the necessity of focusing on a single issue to guide the analysis process. The document also highlights the importance of understanding stakeholder perspectives and making well-justified recommendations within the context of administrative decision-making.

1. Case Studies Guidelines
What is a Case Study:
Case studies are stories. They are formatted in such a way that
at a glance one could easily determine the “issue” about to be
discussed. We look to clearly address the who, what, where,
when, why and how to ensure that we have covered the story in
its entirety. If you miss one of these factors, you leave the
reader guessing and questioning your report. In public policy &
administration our case studies/stories are required to be fact
based. Make sure your research is based on credible
information. Verify, verify, verify. Make a mistake and/or be
challenged on one of your “facts”, could create a host of issues.
If you are found to be incorrect, the entire report is incorrect
and your credibility is suspect. Cite your research appropriately.
We call it an issue rather than a “problem” because a problem
presents a negative image/connotation. Issues are not
necessarily negative and provides the policy analyst with an
opportunity to evaluate each issue based on its own merits
without taking a position of negative or positive.
What Does a Case Study Look Like:
A case study should set up similar to story-telling.
Do not write this as you would a thesis.
You don’t want to put in a lot of “fluff & stuff”. Think of the
reader as a high level administrator whose in-box is full of
documents that require review. To catch this administrator’s
attention, consider what he/she would be concerned with. The
“issue” clearly delineated, then the people involved
“stakeholders”, the positions (where one stands depends upon

2. where one sits), of these people/perspectives” of the
stakeholders and then a fact based well thought out
“recommendation”. Use the first paragraph or two to set the
tone for the issue under consideration. Once you have the
reader’s attention then you are prepared to move onto your 4-
step policy analyses.
Why a 4-Step Policy Analysis:
We use the four-step policy analysis because of its simplicity
and its thoroughness. There are plenty of other models, some
with seven-steps and others with ten-steps. It is not the number
of steps that makes a case study. It is the report itself that
stands on merit.
Do not change the language of the 4-steps or add other
language, as new headings could change the report and its
intent. It is vital that you understand this foundation as it will
be used throughout your baccalaureate curriculum. Learning to
use this in both your professional and personal lives will help
you with your decision making in a variety of ways.
How Do I Begin:
Case studies are complex and may contain a myriad of issues,
stakeholders, etc. It is your job to select one issue and then to
stay on course as you work through your critical thinking and 4-
step policy analysis. Do not say there are “many” issues as this
may confuse the reader of leave him/her questioning why you
chose one issue over another. Chose one….
How Should the Final Case Study Paper Set Up:
Use APA format when completing your case study paper.
Recommendation (oral and written), based on your analysis

3. should focus on presenting the most feasible recommendation to
the issue or situation. The focus should be to describe the
issue/situation/case study in such detail that another person
would understand what you went through under those
circumstances. You are describing the issue/situation/case study
so that you might analyze it, in depth, using the theories and
approaches related to the course and your own life experiences.
Provide details on who, what, where, why, when and how. Refer
to case study guidelines listed below.
The case study should be
22 to 28 pages long
Case study papers are provided with a
no later
than
due date.
The case study method is a form of stimulation aimed at
providing students with an understanding of the complexities
relating to specific circumstances faced on the job. A case study
should contain a complete description of
an issue
(who, what, when, where, why and how) including all known
events, people, and other impacting factors. It represents a
situation/concern to be analyzed and resolved. Case studies
should allow students to:
Ask (or ask themselves) questions that help extract key
information from a case;
Diagnose the case;
Define all the different issues involved in the case;

4. Make well thought out – fact based decisions;
Formulate principles for handling future cases.
In the field of public administration, the case study method is
“an action plan” for resolving community issues. It provides
clarity of purpose for what needs to be accomplished to
effectively connect citizens to governance.
“Few public administrators expect ever to find a “one size fits
all”
issue resolving approach for the vast range of
circumstances/concerns that they are likely to encounter (Public
Administration: The Profession and the Practice).
Principles for Creating a Case
Each case should focus on a single issue/situation clearly
delineated in one or two sentences at most and separated from
paragraphs so as to easily determine what it is we are about to
address.
A case must contain all the data necessary to arrive at a
recommendation for resolution:
Facts and events that make it up;
Feelings, habits, attitudes, and expectations of the key
stakeholders;
A clear description of the setting (time, place, and physical and
social environment).
Steps in Creating a Case Study

5. Identify the Issue:
Must illustrate one or several specific principles;
Will constitute the heart of the case study and thus influence all
parts including how it is represented;
Case studies are stories; they teach what stories teach – which
happens to be what administrators most need to learn.
Create an outline of the case study:
Select facts and incidents that will be easily recognized and
understood by participants.
Organize these in a logical sequence. Remove any inflated or
exaggerated components that might diminish the authenticity of
the case.
Identify the stakeholders:
Clearly identify each stakeholder in terms of his/her position.
Write up the case study.
Whether the case study is short or long, present a clear, concise,
and coherent portrait of the stakeholders, events, and
information.
Use a writing style that is simple and direct – no long winded
dissertations – one that speaks right to the reader.
Occasionally include brief dialogues to create interest and allow
readers to hear what the stakeholders in the case study have to
say for themselves.

6. In the case introduction, present your key stakeholders and
provide information that clearly identifies him/her/them.
Establish the relationship between the stakeholders and the
issue under study. Include the organizational context.
Recount events or incidents in chronological order.
Occasionally use “flashbacks” to fill in gaps or heighten the
sense of realism in the case. In certain case studies, you may
have events overlap, occur simultaneously, or repeat
themselves.
In the concluding sentence or paragraph of the case study, point
out the need for some form of action: a decision, a
recommendation for resolution, a weighing of alternatives, or a
combination of these.
End with a bridge of some sort that leads from your case study
presentation to participant discussion. Three types of conclusion
are frequently used: open-ended conclusion: the participants
define the facts and problems, directed conclusions: specific
questions, tasks, or even a quiz following a case study, closed
conclusions: a textbook solution is provided at the end of the
case study.
Identify stakeholder perspectives:
Understand that public administration is politics – not the
“obvious politics” of high stakes electioneering and policy
making, but the “other politics” of small-scale, behind the
scenes problems solving: the nature of administrative casework
follows accordingly.
Stories don’t come ready-made but must be formed through
selection and shaping from the flow of events: “Case synthesis
precedes case analysis.

7. Keep your eye on the entire set of interacting decision-makers
and interlocking policies: it’s there your most likely to find any
lurking problems of under-determination.
It’s usually helpful to break out the goals being pursued, the
variables that must be modified to move toward the goals, and
the criteria to be borne in mind when pursuing the goals; it’s in
those criteria that problems of over-determination are likely to
originate.
Remember Mile’s Law:
“Where one stands depends upon where one sits.”
Search for the paradigm of the case, but expect departures from
the underlying pattern; explore the progression of
circumstances.
Make a recommendation:
Identify expectations
Cases involve choices; in a democracy, choice demands
justification, which further implies a process of dialogue and an
effort at persuasion.
An effective administrative analyst must be ready to “speak in
tongues”; expect to work in a variety of idioms and
vocabularies.
Most important of all:
Trust your own experience and instincts!

8. The case study must have
Introduction
Main Issue
History
Law
Stakeholders
Stakeholder perspectives
Recommendation