国際公共政策実践研究（Learning Public Policy Decision Making by Case Method)

This course assists students to develop both analytical and decision making skills to address public policy challenges by using the case method. The case method is a problem-based active learning approach to put students in the role of a person faced with real-world problems and responsible for decision making (often called the “protagonist”). With a narrative which describes a real-world situation, students are asked to interpret the incidents; analyze interactions between stakeholders possibly with conflicts of interest; understand antinomy, dilemma, tradeoffs, ethical aspects, and uncertainty; identify feasible options to choose; evaluate possible outcomes; compare alternatives; and propose virtual solutions and decisions. A well-known “case method” approach is one developed by Harvard Business School mostly for corporate decision making whereas ours is for public policy analysis and decision making.
Throughout this course, students are required to work in small teams—with a few assigned case materials in the first few sessions and afterward with a real-world problem of the team’s choice to prepare an analytical note. This exercise puts students in the shoes of a decision maker in order to gain a better understanding of real-world challenges. It also helps students understand the relevance and usefulness of abstract concepts and theory as an analytical framework which helps decision making.
Towards the end of the course, students are required to serve as case teachers collectively in their teams by writing a case material—a narrative of the real-world problem, on which the analytical note has been prepared—and to give a team presentation of the case material for class discussion. This exercise aims to help students deepen their understanding of the problem of their choice and familiarize them with decision-making process by guiding their peers.