Read 3 cases highlighting concepts, issues, values, and dilemmas in local service management. Case assignments are summaries and analyses of the cases to help organize your thoughts and prepare you for class discussions.
Written analyses of each case should be no more than three pages (single-spaced). Submit them on Canvas before the class in which we will discuss the assignment.
Our discussions will cover concepts and issues presented in assigned readings, the facts of the case, and your thoughts about the issues. We may come to different conclusions about some of these issues, so please know that while the "facts are the facts," there is more than one possible conclusion.
Discussing different points of view to understand the subject better is the case method's utility. You will discuss your analysis in small groups. Discussions should include input from everyone. While civility and professional decorum must be learned and practiced, the world in which public sector managers work also entails criticism, argument, challenge, and confrontation. Therefore, learning to respond, or at least cope, is also a necessary professional skill.
Grading will be based on the degree to which you present an accurate portrayal of the facts, link the facts presented to class readings, the action you propose, and the logic and reason behind your recommendation.
The five elements of your analysis must be more than one or two sentences. A paper that only skims the surface may be returned for a complete response. Be thorough but brief. All assignments must be single-spaced with 11 pt. Serif font and presented without errors of spelling, grammar, punctuation, or fragmented sentences. Long paragraphs should be broken into shorter ones. A grading rubric is posted on Canvas.
Case Analysis Format
Use the following format and numbered headings in preparing each case analysis.
- Introduction
Begin with a one-paragraph summary of the case's content area and its importance to the study or practice of local government management. For example, "this case focuses on alternative means of delivering municipal services, which is covered in readings . . ." - The Facts and Chronology
What do you know to be true? Describe the basic chronology of the case, the key people and organizations involved, perhaps their motivations and interests, and any other aspect of the case that is generally agreed upon (the facts) that you feel are essential. Omit any subjective analysis of the facts. This section should be a brief but thorough summary (two or three paragraphs) and not a presentation of the case itself. - Analysis
The analysis is the heart of the assignment. What is the problem or challenge presented in the case? What are the options? What are the consequences of each option? Integrate theories and concepts discussed in class and in readings and your view to explain what happened in the case and how it should be understood. Provide specific examples from the case to support your analysis. As the course proceeds, you should draw upon previously discussed topics and readings to expand or enhance your analysis. This section should be two to three paragraphs in length.
Place yourself in the shoes of the decision-maker who is acting in the public interest. In your assumed role, you must reach informed judgments as to which factors are most relevant; you must identify and separate the decision-relevant information from what isn't helpful and bring to bear whatever methods and means of analysis you deem appropriate under the circumstance.
Real-world problems are "messy" insofar as they are multidimensional. Many factors may influence a decision, creating confusion for decision-makers. For instance, problems often have either implicit or explicit political ramifications. Politics may at first appear to be the overwhelming force driving decision-makers in a case. But politics are subject to the "logic of the numbers." That is, a hard-headed objective analysis may put politics in a "box" to the extent that it serves to define boundaries beyond which decisions are infeasible. Even in highly politically-charged circumstances, objective analysis can structure the decision problem in a manner that helps the key actors to understand (and, hopefully, acknowledge to themselves and their constituents) what is possible.
Many issues facing professional managers operating in a political environment have a significant ethical component. Actions or alternatives may be legal, but they may constitute a violation of a code of ethics to which the manager has committed to guiding their actions. When this occurs, explicitly identify it in your analysis.
- Recommendations or Decision
Your task is to develop a workable recommendation about what to do. First, ask whether your analysis is strong enough to support the recommendations or decisions you wish to make. Then, be sure to note any reasonable "caveats"; that is, uncertainties or weaknesses in the analytical basis of support for your recommendations. At this stage, note any interpersonal or political factors that the decision-maker must consider in forming a course of action. (One paragraph.)
It isn't possible to discover the "optimum" outcome from the provided information. Instead, you are seeking to frame the set of possible courses of action in a way that rules out wrong courses of action. Therefore, take your analysis as far as you can, squeeze inferences out of the data, and stretch your recommendations as far as you dare -- but do not move beyond the realm of plausibility.
- Application
How might you apply the lessons learned from the case to your future exercise of discretion as a professional public administrator? In a paragraph, identify an important lesson that you take from the case and how this might guide you in confronting similar challenges in your career. Write this lesson in the first person. For example, "this case has made clear the importance of maintaining a commitment to ethical behavior. In the future, if I confront this type of challenge in my career, I will remember that . . ."
Note to international students: The cases are written in the context of American governmental forms and culture. The application to your future career may be very different from those pursuing a career in the US. Therefore, you should consider presenting this alternative context in your paper and class discussion.