How to write a case study for public affairs

ABSTRACT

A case study is a story narrative that places readers into the shoes of a protagonist so that they can gain the experience of addressing a particular problem or issue. When used effectively in the classroom, case studies can help students bridge the gap from theory to practice. Although public affairs incorporated the case approach in the earliest training programs, the field currently lacks the volume of case studies that are found in other professional disciplines. To encourage the development of more case studies in public affairs, this article provides guidance to authors on the fundamentals of a case study and how to write an effective case study.

KEYWORDS:

• Case studies
• instructional design
• public affairs
• teaching
• writing

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bruce D. McDonald

William Hatcher is an associate professor of political science and MPA Director at Augusta University. He currently services as the co-editor-in-chief of Journal of Public Affairs Education. His research has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Public Affairs Education, the American Journal of Public Health, and Public Administration Quarterly.

Bruce D. McDonald III is an associate professor of public budgeting and finance and the director of the Masters of Public Administration program at North Carolina State University. He currently serves as the co-editor-in-chief of both the Journal of Public Affairs Education and the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs. His research has appeared in a number of outlets, including the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and Public Administration Review. Bruce sits on several boards of nonprofit organizations, including Midwest Public Affairs Conference, Research Triangle Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, and Regions Beyond International.

Lori A. Brainard is an associate professor in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration at George Washington University. She currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Public Affairs Education. Her research has appeared on such journals as Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly, American Review of Public Administration and others. Her work focuses on how ordinary people, grassroots advocacy organizations and government agencies use the Internet to activate and mobilize for change and to disseminate information, conduct transactions and engage in community building and collaboration. Her current research focuses on how police departments use social media to engage with residents and how Millennials in general and Black Millennials specifically use the Internet to engage in public life.