Case Analysis III: TurboVote and Political Participation

Each student must complete three case analyses throughout the semester. The final
case analysis will be based on the Harvard Kennedy School of Government case
Fixing Our Politics, One Vote at a Time: Public Policy Graduates Aim to Boost
Turnout with TurboVote. You must purchase the case from Kennedy School
website: https://case.hks.harvard.edu/content/cases/. For important information
about the context, you must read all the materials posted to Classes for November
15. Incorporate that information into your case discussion. You should submit your
case analysis to the course website by noon on October 29th. Bring a copy to class as
well. Your case analysis should not exceed 4 pages in length (double spaced, 1 inch
margins).

Each case analysis should include three main sections. First, identify the main
problem faced by the actor in the case and why the decision is difficult. (For this
assignment, that will be TurboVote). You should also provide a brief summary of
key case facts to provide context. This section should be approximately 1 paragraph.

In the second section, consider the actors goals, power to act, and
constraints. Describe the actors primary goal in the context of the problem you
identified. Consider what actions are within the actors power given her institutional
position. (In this case, you are advising a non-profit so keep that in mind.) Then
identify constraints on the actors ability to achieve his goal. In this case, you also
want to consider TurboVotes resources. This section should be approximately 2
paragraphs.

In the third section, answer the decision question. In this case, the decision
question is: What financial model and market should TurboVote pursue to fulfill
their goals? There is no single correct answer to the question. You must justify your
recommendation with reasoned argument that demonstrates your understanding of
case facts, the political context, and the actors institutional position. Your
recommendation should reflect the actors interests, which may differ from your
personal beliefs on the policy issue at hand.

Finally, your writing should be clear, concise and grammatically correct. Edit
to ensure careless errors are eliminated. Excellent ideas lose power when expressed
through sloppy writing.