Case Studies

What the official syllabus says

General Studies IV (Paper-V):

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects.

Case Studies on above issues.

What the notice tells us

• Case studies are part of the syllabus itself: the last line of the paper’s syllabus is “Case Studies on above issues”, so they draw on every area of the paper.
• The paper’s introduction says what they test: the candidate’s attitude and approach to integrity and probity in public life, and the candidate’s problem solving approach to issues and conflicts faced in dealing with society.
• The notice says questions may use the case study approach; it does not fix how many case studies there will be or how many marks they carry.

Topics in detail

What a case study is

• A short real-life situation, usually from administration, in which a person must decide what to do.
• It usually involves an ethical dilemma, several stakeholders, pressure of time or authority, and incomplete information.
• It tests applied ethics: whether the values studied in the paper can be used in a concrete decision.

Kinds of situations, by area of the syllabus

• Ethics and human interface: conflict between family loyalty and official duty; a relative or friend seeking a favour.
• Attitude: prejudice among staff or the public; persuading a community to accept a public health or sanitation measure.
• Aptitude and foundational values: pressure from a superior or politician to act against the rules; keeping neutrality during elections; protecting weaker sections against local power.
• Emotional intelligence: angry crowds, a protest, a grieving family, a demotivated team, a conflict between colleagues.
• Public service values: whistle-blowing, conflict of interest, misuse of discretion, an unjust rule, a dilemma between speed and due process.
• Probity in governance: a corruption racket in an office, misuse of public funds, a citizen denied a service, an RTI request about sensitive information.
• Corporate and international issues: a company’s pollution versus local jobs, safety lapses, foreign funding, humanitarian crises.
• Disaster and crisis: relief distribution, rescue priorities, rumours and misinformation.

Elements of a good answer

• Identifying the facts and the stakeholders (citizens, officials, government, vulnerable groups, the environment).
• Naming the ethical issues and values in conflict.
• Listing the options available, with the merits and demerits of each.
• Choosing a course of action that is lawful, ethical and practical, and justifying it.
• Short-term steps and long-term or systemic measures.
• Using the law, the conduct rules and relevant thinkers or principles where they fit, without forcing them.

Common frameworks for working through a case

• Stakeholder analysis: who gains, who loses, whose rights are at stake.
• Tests of action: legality, public interest, fairness to the weakest, transparency (would the decision stand being made public?), conscience.
• Ethical theories as lenses: consequences (utilitarian), duties and rights (Kantian), character (virtue), care for relationships.
• Gandhi’s talisman: how the decision affects the poorest and weakest person.

Practice areas

• Administrative: district administration, policing, health, education, revenue, municipal services.
• Social: caste and gender discrimination, child labour, communal tension, migrants.
• Economic and corporate: procurement, contracts, regulation, insider information.
• Personal: work–life balance, honesty about one’s own mistakes, standing up to peers.

Overlaps

• Every other sub-page of this paper supplies the values and tools a case study uses: see Public Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration and Probity in Governance in particular.
• The Interview also looks at qualities such as balance of judgement and moral integrity, which case studies call for.