Background

The Case Competition, hosted by Public Policy Graduate Student Association (PPGSA) at Georgia Tech is an inter-school, inter-institution event bringing students together to build relationships and apply their skills in a real-world policy case.

During the competition, teams will have 24 hours to develop and present their policy proposal for the given case. The competition simulates the real policy analysis process of a multidisciplinary issue in the context of a deadline-driven format with conflicting potential outcomes. The study will require both quantitative and qualitative (e.g. narratives, politics) reasoning as well as presentation skills.

The Case Competition will be a rich experience in interdisciplinary problem solving. It will offer networking and social opportunities and act as a showcase platform for recruiting purposes. This event will increase visibility of the respective schools and the University System of Georgia.

For sponsors, the case competition provides an intriguing context to further their missions and/or brands and offer strategic input in the growing role of public-private partnerships and the sophisticated network of actors needed to deliver and govern publicly provided services and goods.

The Case

Details on the case will be released on August 30, 2012, giving all teams 24 hours to research and develop their policy solution. The event itself will be on August 31, 2012 from 10:30 AM until 3:00 PM. Teams will be provided with a set of data, summary materials, and specific questions to address in their proposed policy solution.

Final Deliverables

• A PowerPoint slide deck not to exceed 15 slides
• A presentation not to exceed 10 minutes followed by Q&A
• All presentation materials become public domain upon submission

Eligibility

Teams of students at Georgia universities are invited to join this case competition. Multidisciplinary teams (i.e. teams comprised of students from various backgrounds such as public administration and policy, management, economics, etc.) will be encouraged.

Incentives and Sponsorships

PPGSA has raised over $1000 for prizes.

• The maximum prize awarded to any individual will not exceed $75.
• Prizes will be distributed in the form of American Express gift cards.

The competition is sponsored and hosted by:
Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College School of Public Policy
Additional support and sponsorships are generously provided by:

• Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI)
• Georgia Tech Career Services
• Georgia Institute of Technology

Program

In an effort to promote collaboration among participating universities, each school will be encouraged to do the following:

1) choose student(s) to participate in creating a rubric by which each team will be judged

2) select an independent student to help select/write the final case

3) nominate an academic judge to serve on the judging panel.

Teams will then register online during second week of classes (at Georgia Tech) in the fall 2012 semester (August 26-30, 2012). A maximum of 10-12 teams will be allowed to participate on a first-come, first-serve basis, with the exception and expectation that each participating institution will be represented by at least one team.

• Teams will consist of between three and five students.
• Registration information, case information, schedule updates and other relevant information will be posted on-line at the Georgia Tech SPP website spp.gatech.edu/case-competition and is on Facebook.
• The case will be delivered via email to each team at noon on Thursday, August 30, 2012.
• Presentations will begin at on Friday, August 31, 2012, at 11:30 AM at the Student Center Ballroom (3rd floor, Student Center) on Georgia Tech’s campus.
• Following the presentations, all competitors are invited to attend a networking session to share good cheer and comraderie at the Student Center.
• The program will be open to the public.

Tentative Agenda

• 10:30-11:00 Judges arrive; welcome, introductions, instructions, settling in for judging

Teams sign in at registration desk; assigned to a time and judges panel

• 11:00-11:15 Welcome remarks by Dr. Diana Hicks, Chair of Georgia Tech School of Public Policy

Housekeeping notices by PPGSA competition organizers

• 11:15-12:30 First round of competition presentations and judging. Teams have access to a prep room or other gathering places on campus but cannot attend the judging until after they present
• 12:30-12:45 Notification of teams to participate in the final round
• 12:45-1:15 Short lunch break
• 1:15-1:50 Final round with 6 judges; finalists may not enter the room until their presentation; all other participants are invited to attend
• 1:50-2:00 Announcement of winners, award of prizes, invitation to reception
• 2:00-3:00 Networking and reception

Judges and Judging

• The case competition will be judged by panels of several experts including academic professors and industry representatives. Judging will use a rubric prepared by students from the participating universities. The rubric will be posted online along with the case materials for teams to view.

The Teams

Teams are expected from (alphabetically):

• Clark-Atlanta University
• Emory University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Georgia State University
• Kennesaw State University
• University of Georgia
• West Georgia University

The Results

The second Public Policy Case Competition at Georgia Tech was a success! Thank you for your attendance and participation.

The case asked students to analyze and create policy recommendations for Illinois's state pension system. Teams were able to take a real-world problem of the state's underfunded system and recommend policies in the context of the current economic, political, and financial situation. The teams prepared a diverse set of policy proposals, ranging from an increase in retirement age to transitioning from a defined contribution to a defined benefit plan. Most plans included a variety of incremental proposals to keep certain stakeholders satisfied. Please see this page for a list of teams and their respective presentations and policy memos.

PPGSA identified a diverse panel of judges to assess each team's performance:

• Mr. Mike Cobb, CEO, InnovaNET Group
• Dr. Cynthia Searcy, Professor of Public Policy, GSU
• Ms. Sherri Dickerson, Deputy Commissioner of Human Resources, City of Atlanta
• Dr. Laura Wheeler, Senior Research Associate, Fiscal Research Center

A team representing UGA's Master's of Public Administration took Both universities had two additional teams named as runner-ups. The next Policy Case Competition is tentatively scheduled for January 2012 at University of Georgia.
A special thanks to those who helped organize:

• Jenna Howard, planning, Masters Student in Public Policy, Georgia Tech
• Amechi Okoh, planning, Master's Student in Public Policy, Georgia Tech
• Randy Gibbs, planning, Master's Student in Public Policy, Georgia Tech
• Kaspars Berzins, planning, PhD Student in Public Policy, Georgia Tech
• Ron Shelby, planning, PhD Student in Public Finance and Budgeting, Georgia State University
• Burt Cassarella, planning, Master's Student in Public Administration, University of Georgia

More Case Competitions

The first Public Policy Case Competition, held on August 26, 2011, at Georgia Tech was a success! Check out this video for a brief overview of the event, and feel free to explore the site to learn about the teams, winners, judges, and case. [SPP Case Study from Brian Starnes on Vimeo.]

2011 Teams

2011 Results