Cases

New Peril, Old Adversary: George W. Bush, 9/11, & Iraq (A) The United States & Iraq, 1980 to 2002

Publication Date: June 30, 2018

The U.S. choice to go to war with Iraq, beginning in March 2003, was enormously consequential. This two-part case, developed for an HKS course called “Power Shifts: Understanding Global Change Through History,” goes back in time to...

A Cascade of Emergencies (A): Responding to Superstorm Sandy in New York City

Publication Date: June 30, 2018

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sandy’s massive size, coupled with an unusual combination of meteorological conditions, fueled an especially powerful and destructive storm surge, which...

Mothers of Rotterdam: Scaling a Social Services Program in the Netherlands

Publication Date: June 7, 2018

Board Chair Nanne Boonstra was about to learn the details of a scaling strategy proposal for Mothers of Rotterdam, a fledgling social service program that helped the city’s disadvantaged pregnant women.Boonstra’s employer, a venture...

Transforming Desert Land & Human Potential: Egypt’s ‘SEKEM’ Initiative Reaches a Crossroads

Publication Date: May 31, 2018

The SEKEM initiative, headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, was an unusual social enterprise by any standard. It produced organic products; provided health, education and arts programs to the local community; and—more broadly, sought to create a...

District of Columbia Public Schools: Politics, Jobs, Race, Children & Reform

Publication Date: May 25, 2018

After nearly four years of controversial reform that included layoffs, school closures and battles with the Washington Teachers’ Union over tenure and seniority, Michelle Rhee resigned as Chancellor of DC Public Schools on October 13, 2010...

Growing Home: Creating Institutional Change in China

Publication Date: May 11, 2018

In 2008, Du and Lu, two experienced professional volunteers passionate about improving the state of mental health and well being among Chinese youth, founded Growing Home in Beijing, China. The nonprofit organization has since evolved from...

A Better Community (ABC): Developing the NGO Infrastructure in China

Publication Date: May 8, 2018

ABC (A Better Community) provided pro-bono and paid management consulting services to nongovernment organizations in mainland China. Founded in 2008, ABC had quickly expanded from a voluntary group in Beijing with 7 volunteers in to a...

Seeking Skills, Finding Barriers: Vocational Training in Punjab (Sequel)

Publication Date: April 11, 2018

This is the sequel to Seeking Skills, Finding Barriers: Vocational Training in Punjab.In March 2012, a flagship vocational program in Punjab, Pakistan—the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)—hit a roadblock. After months of...

Seeking Skills, Finding Barriers: Vocational Training in Punjab

Publication Date: April 11, 2018

In March 2012, a flagship vocational program in Punjab, Pakistan—the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)—hit a roadblock. After months of planning, a pilot phase of training courses was launched in four of Punjab’s poorest...

Into Local Streets: Maryland National Guard and the Baltimore Riots Epilogue

Publication Date: March 19, 2018

On April 19, 2015, Freddie Gray, a young African American male, died while in the custody of the Baltimore Police. In response to his death, which occurred less than a year after a similar incident in Ferguson, Missouri, protestors mobilized...

Into Local Streets: Maryland National Guard and the Baltimore Riots

Publication Date: March 15, 2018

On April 19, 2015, Freddie Gray, a young African American male, died while in the custody of the Baltimore Police. In response to his death, which occurred less than a year after a similar incident in Ferguson, Missouri, protestors mobilized...

Negotiating Toward the Paris Accords: WWF & the Role of Forests in the 2015 Climate Agreement

Publication Date: March 8, 2018

In the lead-up to the United Nations’ 2015 climate summit in Paris, excitement ran high and so did anxiety. Negotiators hoped for a new international agreement, the first such effort since the disappointing collapse of negotiations six...