The John L. Alford Case Library is an internationally recognised library of public sector cases and a unique resource centre for the advancement of interactive teaching. It recognises the outstanding contribution of Professor John Alford to the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Not only has Professor Alford researched and published widely in public management, he has also been instrumental in establishing and building the case library, promoting interactive teaching methods, and developing and leading foundation teaching programs. Professor Shaun Goldfinch is the Director of the John L. Alford Case Library at ANZSOG.
One of the strengths of The John L. Alford Case Library is the wide range of public sector case studies from all levels of government across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
We are always looking for interesting new cases to stimulate discussion about recent or current events in the public sector. Topic areas include leadership, policy development, regulation, budgeting, intergovernmental relations, service delivery management, strategic communication and ethics.
A case is an engaging narrative centred on a compelling dilemma, decision, event, or opportunity.
The ideal length is around 5000 words. Cases can be shorter or longer depending on the nature or complexity of the material, but shorter ones are generally preferred.
Download the full case writing guide
If you have identified a subject of interest, please get in touch with us to discuss how we can develop it.
Our cases may be written by our program writers, an academic in one of our partner institutions or a contract writer, supervised by an academic in a partner institution.
We are committed to developing expertise in case teaching and case writing and our case library team can advise those without previous experience.
ANZSOG may agree to support the development and writing of new cases with the amount available varying between A$3000 and A$5000, depending on the length and complexity of, and identified need for, the proposed case. Preference is given to cases that fill teaching needs in ANZSOG programs or gaps in our case library collection.
Government agencies may commission ANZSOG to produce a case, however commissions are only accepted where ANZSOG’s teaching objectives and the organisation’s needs are compatible. Agencies wishing to fund a case should contact Shaun Goldfinch, Director of the
John L. Alford Case Library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Please provide via email an outline of the project, including a short description of the case, the expected teaching outcomes, the research and development methodologies, the proposed completion date, itemisation of any proposed budget, and brief resumes of the academic supervisor and/or case writer.
Applicants should email their proposals, marked ‘New case application’, to
Shaun Goldfinch, Director of the John L. Alford Case Library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Editorial representatives of The John L. Alford Case Library team will consider your application. They will either: accept your application; propose variations; reject your application; or refer it a full editorial committee of The John L. Alford Case Library for further review.
For information on the Case Library, please contact Shaun Goldfinch, Director of the John L. Alford Case Library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For all other enquiries, including accessing Teaching Notes, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
