Case method worldwide

Lens adapted to this topic: What supporters say, and the evidence behind it

The mainstream educational account views the case method as a durable, internationally transferable approach that complements or sometimes replaces lectures by placing learners in realistic decision situations. Its advocates point to extensive adoption, active and collaborative learning, links between theory and practice, and skills such as judgment, communication and ethical reasoning. They also argue that newer formats and local case production make the method increasingly versatile.

• The method has achieved broad international reach: cases were purchased by 1,187 organisations in 85 countries in 2022–23 and 1,234 organisations in 87 countries in 2023–24.
• International teacher-training and institution-building programmes associated with Harvard helped disseminate case teaching beyond the United States.
• Advocates associate case teaching with active learning, teamwork, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, leadership, communication and problem-solving under uncertainty.
• The method is presented as adaptable to online, multimedia, virtual-reality and live formats, helping it remain relevant in changing educational environments.
• Comparative education research describes case study use as spreading across countries and professional fields, including law and economics.

Lens adapted to this topic: Dissenting assessments of global transfer and effectiveness

Critical accounts do not dispute the method’s spread but question whether global adoption demonstrates educational effectiveness. They argue that short, decision-focused cases may strip away history, power, politics and structural causes; that the underlying model may fit relatively stable environments better than today’s uncertainty; and that imported approaches can fail when they are not redesigned for local legal, cultural and institutional circumstances.

• Some students and educators argue that condensed cases from a single viewpoint encourage local decision-making while obscuring historical context and wider structural implications.
• A critical management-education account argues that the traditional method rests on an outdated model of decision-making suited to simpler, more stable environments.
• Historical analysis finds mixed results outside the Western world, especially where programmes were not adapted to local circumstances.
• The international history of the method suggests that legal education and teaching practice remain tied to local idiosyncrasies and world politics, limiting straightforward global transfer.
• The method’s international popularity does not by itself resolve questions about its theoretical grounding or how case study should be defined and systematized.