Case Competition

It is designed to highlight the excellence of Canadian public administration programs and students, and to provide a valuable learning experience for students. Canadian universities that have programs in public administration may compete.

Congratulations to the 2024 winning teams of the National Student Case Competition!

The Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) extends its sincere congradulations to all of the winning teams, and a hearty thanks to all teams that participated in the 2024 competition.

This year, 12 teams participated in the competition online hosted by the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Administration.

This year's winning teams are:

Gold: Queen's University
Silver: Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School
Bronze: University of Toronto (Munk School)

This year's case study asked the student teams to respond to the dysfunctions in the federal procurement system respecting large-scale projects, such as Phoenix, Business Modernization Program, and the ArriveCan Application.

The case highlights the practical management challenges in administering large-scale procurements, as well as the various ethical challenges including the lack of internal oversight and abuse of procurement processes by public servants.

The President of the Treasury Board demanded advice from public servants on how to frame a review of the procurement system and its various processes, as well as how to improve internal oversight in the immediate term.

The case study is available in English and French on the CAPPA website. Click here for full presentations.

The CAPPA executive and board sincerely thanks Johnson-Shoyama for hosting the competition, Baseline Communications for providing technical support, and Carleton University for providing leadership support.

The National Annual Public Administration Case Competition is a joint project of CAPPA and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). Canadian universities that have programs in public administration may compete. It is designed to highlight the excellence of Canadian public administration programs and students, and to provide a valuable learning experience for students.

2015 Case CompetitionParticipants are organized into teams and presented with a "real world" public administration case, with accompanying background material. They work together to develop the best solution over a day. Teams then deliver presentations for judges. Two rounds may be required, and universities with more than one team may have their own internal competitions to determine who will represent the university.

  • Some rules will vary from year to year, but typically the case presented one day before presentations to judges who represent key players in the context of the case (e.g. a cabinet committee). Teams will then go through the stages of case study review:
  • Problem identification
  • Research/Analysis of issues
  • Identification of risks, opportunities and complexities
  • Desired outcome and policy approach Issues of implementation and suggested course of action (including financial implications)
  • Issues of communication, collaboration and stakeholders and suggested courses of action

Teams then develop 30-minute presentations that are made to a panel of judges. An assessment rubric will be provided before work begins, and time limits are strictly enforced.

Quality of the presentations is always high. A list of winners is available on our Honour Roll page.

Past Cases and the Results of past Competitions

2024 Case Competition

Phoenix Rising… Again? Taking Control of Federal Procurement 2024 National Public Administration Student Case Competition The 2023 National Public Administration Case Competition was hosted by Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and held virtually on February 14 to 24,…

2023 Case Competition

  Preparing for the Future: Modernizing Transaction Through a Central Bank Digital Currency. 2023 Case Study Competition The 2023 National Public Administration Case Competition was hosted by Carleton University and held virtually on February 15 to 25, 2023. The case…

2022 Case Competition

The case centered around rough sleeping, encampments, and homelessness, and how provinces might address these issues. 2022 Sponsors 2022 Case Study Competition The 2022 National Public Administration Case Competition was hosted by Carleton University and held virtually on February 16…

2021 Case Competition

The case centered around the impact of COVID-19 on long-term care in the country, and how provinces might discuss policy options. 2021 Sponsors 2021 Case Study Competition The 2021 National Public Administration Case Competition was hosted by Carleton University and…

2020 Case Competition

2020 Sponsors: 2020 Case Study Competition The 2020 National Public Administration Case Competition was held at Université Laval on February 21 & 22, 2020. The case centred around the issue of housing affordability for Canadians. 2020 Case: HOUSING AFFORDABILITY: A NATIONAL…

2019 Case Competition

2019 Sponsors: 2019 Case Study Competition The 2019 National Public Administration Case Competition was held at Carleton University’s School of Public Policy & Administration on February 22 & 23, 2019. The case centred around the management of the Yemeni refugee…

2018 Case Competition

Getting to Implementation: The Politics of Pipelines Sponsors and Partners              This Year’s Case The 2018 National Public Administration Case Competition was held at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy on February 23 & 24, 2018. The case centred…

2017 Case Competition

A National Political Football: The F-35 Jetfighter Procurement Program Sponsors: Ernst & Young, Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Institute for Research on Public Policy, & CAPPA The 2017 National Public Administration Case Competition was held at Ryerson University’s Department of Politics…

Winners announced for 2017 National Public Administration Case Competition! Les gagnants annoncés pour le Concours national des affaires publiques 2017!

(La version française suit.) Winners announced for this year’s National Public Administration Case Competition! CAPPA and IPAC are pleased to announce the winners of this year’s National Public Administration Case Competition held at Ryerson University’s Department of Politics and Public…

2016 Case Competition

The Impending Grey Storm: Mobilizing to Address a Complex, Multi-Dimensional Policy Challenge Sponsors: KPMG, Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Institute for Research on Public Policy, & CAPPA The 2016 National Public Administration Case Competition was held at the University of…