Opportunities

There are various opportunities to participate in case competitions as a student in the MGA and MPP Programs, including Cases at Munk, the National Case Competition, SHIFT/CCI, Urban Policy Lab, Ford+Munk, and the Global Public Policy Network.

Learn more

About Policy-at-Munk Fall Case Competition

The Policy-at-Munk Fall Case Competition is a policy-oriented competition open to Master of Public Policy and Master of Global Affairs students in both first and second years.  The competition provides a unique opportunity to develop and hone analytical, presentation, and problem-solving skills in a team-based format.  The competition challenges students to develop an innovative solution to a pressing public policy issue facing Canadians.

The competition will follow the format of the National Public Administration Case Competition, held annually in February. This competition brings together teams from Public Policy and Public Administration Schools across Canada. It allows students to test their skills and decide whether to try out for our National Team in February. Performance in the Fall Case Competition is one factor in selecting our National Team.

Students are invited to enter individually or with a colleague. The organizers will form teams with the goal of mixing first and second year MPP and MGA students.  The teams will receive the policy case challenge one week before the competition. Each team will be assigned a coach to work with over the week-long preparation phase.   On competition day, the teams will present to a judging panel comprised of senior leaders from the municipal, provincial and federal orders of government, and a winning team will be chosen.

Date: November 8th, 2024

2024 Case Competition

2024 Case Challenge - Link

Draft Itinerary - Link

Draft Rules - Link

2024 Training Session Slides - Link

2023 Policy-at-Munk Case Competition Winning Presentation - Link

 

Judges:

Kelly Acton, Vice-President, Canadian Border Services Agency, Government of Canada.

Cordelia Clarke Julien, Assistant Deputy Minister, Social Assistance Programs Division, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Government of Ontario.

Steve Jacques, Commissioner of Human Services, Region of Peel, Ontario.

Joshua Paul, Assistant Deputy Minister, Financial Sustainability, Performance and Oversight Division, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Government of Ontario.

 

Coaches:

  1. Drew Fagan, Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
  2. Maurice Bitran, Assistant Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
  3. Noah Morris, Instructor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
  4. Brian Lewis, Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
  5. Pam Bryant, Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
  6. Alison Drummond, Former Senior Executive at the Ontario Public Service
  7. Victor Severino, Former Senior Executive at the Ontario Public Service
  8. Nancy Mudrinic, Associate Deputy Minister of the Office of Regulatory Policy and Agency Relations, Ministry of Finance
  9. Arsalan Esmaelli, Munk Alumni & former National Case Competition team member
  10. Salman Faruqi, Munk Alumni & former National Case Competition team member
  11. Maegan Ong, Munk Alumni & former National Case Competition team member
  12. Alexandra De Rosa, Munk Alumni & former National Case Competition team member
2023 Case Competition 

Congratulations to our 2023 Policy-at-Munk Fall Case Competition winners Team 5: Joshua James Atienza, MGA2, Aurora Schatz, MPP1, Yuen Wing Nicole Chung, MGA1, Urszula Sitarz, MPP1, and Yasmine Gill, MPP1. Also pictured are the judges - Tina Green, Jonathan Lebi, Melissa Thomson, Denise Andrea Campbell and the organizers of the event, Janet Mason, and Rida Nasir Syeda.

Information from previous competition:

Date of Event: Friday, November 3, 2023 
Location: Campbell Conference Centre on Devonshire Place from 9 am to 4 pm.

On November 3, 2023  70 students competing in 12 teams  met in the Campbell Conference Centre in Devonshire Place for the eighth annual Policy-at-Munk Fall Case Competition.  The teams presented bold and innovative strategies to address Canada’s housing supply and affordability crisis.   Congratulations to the  winning team of: Joshua James Atienza, MGA2, Aurora Schatz, MPP1, Yuen Wing Nicole Chung, MGA1, Urszula Sitarz, MPP1, and Yasmine Gill, MPP1.

The 2023 event was an exciting one; it was the first held in person since 2019 and also the largest since the event began in 2016.  The team presented to a judging panel comprised of Tina Green, Assistant Secretary, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Government of Canada, Melissa Thomson, Deputy Minister of Long-Term Care and Deputy Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, Government of Ontario,  Jonathan Lebi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Integrated Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Transportation, Government of Ontario,  Denise Andrea Campbell, Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City of Toronto.  The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of the presentations.

Faculty lead: Janet Mason  | Student lead: Rida Nasir Syeda  

2023 Competitions Folder

 

2022 Case Competition

Congratulations to our 2022 Policy-at-Munk Fall Case Competition winners: Ayaka Kimata, MPP1, Shaivalini Shukla, MPP1, Rehan Michael Setna, MGA1, Daniel Costanzo, MGA1 and Kuljit Kaur, MPP2. Also pictured are the judges - Cordelia Clarke Julien, Caspar Hall, Jennifer MacIntyre and Sean Baird, and the organizers of the event, Janet Mason, Giancarlo Da-Re, Drew Fagan and Brian Lewis.

Previous Competitions Folder

On November 4th , 2022, 50 students competing in 10 teams tackled the challenge of addressing current capacity crisis in Ontario’s health care system. With a focus on labour shortages and the innovative use of technology, students impressed a panel of judges from the Canadian, Ontario and Regional Municipality of Peel Public services. 

The judges, three assistant deputy ministers from diverse provincial and federal portfolios, and a regional commissioner of human services, were all extremely impressed with the quality of the proposals presented by the student teams. The teams were made up of both MPP and MGA students from first and second years and were coached by faculty members, policy professionals, and MPP alumni.

 Munk’s case competition program provides students with the chance to address policy challenges in a “real-world” simulation and to work in teams with first and second-year MPP and MGA students. Even in a virtual environment, the day was an exciting one as the student teams presented proposals they had been working on for only one week.

As well, For additional insight into how case competitions work and to see samples of National Team presentations, visit the National Case Competition website.
 

Faculty lead: Janet Mason  | Student lead: Giancarlo Da-Ré 

2022 Case Comp
2022 Case Comp 2

Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Empowerment (CARE) Program

About the Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Empowerment (CARE) Program

The Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Empowerment (CARE) Program is a Franco-Canadian initiative bringing together the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, the University of Guelph and Sciences Po Paris. The CARE Program seeks to prepare and energize the next generation of global environmental leaders and citizens by providing them with the knowledge, skills and experience to generate hands-on solutions addressing the challenges of climate change. 

The CARE Sustainability in a Changing Climate Case Competition is hosted virtually by the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Teams of graduate students from all four CARE partners institutions are invited to develop comprehensive policy solutions to address a case challenge related to the CARE core themes of environmental sustainability, climate change, biodiversity and/or energy transitions.

2024 CARE Case Competition

On the day of the case competition, eight teams will virtually present to a panel of judges drawn from public and private sectors, as well as faculty at the four institutions. The winning team will receive a prize of 500 euros and will have their policy solution published on the CARE and Munk School websites.

Date: November 15th, 2024.

About SHIFT competition

The SHIFT: Public Sector Case Competition is an annual case competition sponsored and hosted by KPMG and Consulting Careers Initiative (CCI). Last year, SHIFT partnered with The Rotman School of Management, The Faculty of Information (iSchool), and The Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. CCI recruits students from diverse backgrounds and assigns them to interdisciplinary teams to tackle a challenging policy case over the course of one week. The event provides students with the experience of presenting ideas to senior leaders in the private sector and the public sector.

To learn more about the competition and how to register, visit the Consulting Careers Initiative website.

Shift winners 1
Shift winners 2
Shift winners 3
About the CAPPA competition

The National Annual Public Administration Case Competition is a joint project of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). The 2025 competition will be held on February 22nd, 2025. 

At least a dozen Canadian universities are expected to compete, highlighting the excellence of public administration programs and students, and providing a valuable learning experience.

You can learn more about the National Case Competition by visiting the CAPPA website here.

UofT has a strong record in the competition, including a gold in 2021 and a bronze in 2024. We invite you to consider this great opportunity to develop and demonstrate your policy skills by applying to join the UofT team. First and second year students from both the MPP and MGA programs are invited to apply.

The team will be assisted by professors Drew Fagan and Brian Lewis as coaches, by a student lead, by other faculty members and fellows, some of whom act as coaches for the fall case competition, and by Munk School graduates who participated on past CAPPA teams. The team will be selected through an application process in December and will work through two practice cases early in the winter term to help them prepare for the competition.

Applications close on November 29th, 2024 at 11:59pm. The application form can be found here.

  

  

NAPACC winners 1
NAPACC winners 1
NAPACC winners 2
About the Urban Policy Lab competition

The Urban Policy Lab Case Competition is the only Munk case competition entirely focused on city issues, in which teams of MPP and MGA students compete to develop solutions to a variety of urban policy challenges, and present these ideas to a panel of expert judges. Past topics include: 

  • 2019: “first and last mile” mobility
  • 2020: transit-oriented development
  • 2021: local economic recovery post-COVID
  • 2022: local economic integration of newcomers
  • 2023: urban food insecurity

Participating judges have been drawn from a diverse group of public, private, and not-for-profit organizations, including: the City of Toronto, City of Hamilton, City of Mississauga, York Region, Government of Ontario, Metrolinx, Brookfield Institute, Black Urbanism TO, the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, Urban Strategies Inc., WoodGreen Community Services, and Toronto Daily Bread Food Bank, among others.

Date: January 2025.  

To learn more and register, visit urbanpolicylab.ca/casecomp

Faculty lead: Gabriel Eidelman  | Student lead: Jacob Van Helder

Urban policy winners 1
Urban policy winners 2
Urban policy winners 3

   

Urban policy winners 4
About Ford+Munk competition

The Ford+Munk Conference is an annual student-led policy conference among students at The Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy (the Ford School), one of America’s premier public policy institutions. The event brings together students from both schools in a team-based learning environment where they are challenged to analyze, evaluate, and present key findings related to a current policy issue facing both sides of the border. The conference gives delegates a professional networking opportunity, facilitates cross-border dialogue and provides unique leadership training. Through the weekend conference, delegates are pushed to make tough choices, weigh trade-offs and make bold policy recommendations. Students are placed into case teams ahead of time, and each team will feature a mix of Ford School and Munk School Students. No preparation is necessary leading up to the conferences. At the conclusion of the weekend, a panel of faculty judges select the best proposal. To learn more about the conference and how to register, visit the Ford+Munk website.

Ford Munk 1
Ford Munk 2
Ford Munk 3

    

Ford Munk 4
About the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Case Competition

Global Public Policy Network (GPPN): The Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Case Competition is an annual conference hosted at one of the eight most prestigious public policy schools in the world. Prior to the event, students are tasked with preparing a policy solution to an emerging issue area, which they will present in front of a community of other students and Deans from around the world. At the event, students will discuss their work, network with other students and Deans, and explore the host country.

Year 2024-25

In anticipation of the upcoming Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Annual Conference, taking place from March 5 – 7, 2025, hosted by Columbia School of International and Public Affairs in New York, NY, the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy is actively preparing to make its mark on this prestigious international stage. To support the participation of our talented students, the Munk School is generously contributing towards their travel expenses, ensuring that they can engage with their global peers. Shared accommodation, thoughtfully provided by our gracious hosts, will facilitate networking and camaraderie among the participants. Stay tuned for further updates!

Year 2023-24

Our Munk School team placed first in the Global Public Policy Network case competition in February 2024 at Sciences Po in Paris. The challenge called for policy proposals to reduce the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations and territories.  The jury was comprised of Deans from the eight global GPPN member schools.  The Munk School team beat out 29 other teams to take first place (which was shared with a team from GRASPP, University of Tokyo).   Their proposal, ClimateEd - Floating Schools for Flood-Prone Areas, centred on retrofitting river boats to serve as floating schools in flood plain areas.  

Year 2022-23

A team of four Master of Global Affairs (MGA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) students from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy recently presented their policy solution at the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) Annual Conference in São Paulo, Brazil. Their presentation, titled "Boosting Local News to Combat Polarization," impressed the jury, ranking among the top four teams at the conference. This remarkable achievement is particularly noteworthy as it marks the Munk School's first year as a member of the network. The GPPN has even offered to provide a letter of support if the students decide to pursue their policy solution with the government. This experience provided an invaluable opportunity for these future leaders to exchange ideas and engage with global peers on pressing issues in public policy.

2025 GPPN Conference Call for Proposals 

Can you propose workable solutions to important public policy problems? Can you apply your analytical skills to solve a policy issue? Do you want to showcase your ideas during an international conference? Do you want to meet creative students from all around the world?  

 The Challenge: The 2025 theme and proposal process will be shared in the fall

 

GPPN 1
GPPN 3
GPPN 4