Multi-Level Governance & Global Public Health

Developed by Carlos Bravo-Laguna, IBEI and UPF

This teaching case study covers the evolution of internal and external public health policy in the European Union in the last three decades. By reviewing the multi-level nature of EU public health, students will make sense of EU external action in this area. More specifically, they will do so by reflecting on the dynamics underlying the growing involvement of the EU in the management of public health outbreaks within and beyond its borders. Students will also learn about the complex nature of collective decision-making at the European Union for the purpose of addressing internal and external threats, as well as about the circumstances that hamper an effective coordination in these contexts. Finally, they will identify how the process of European integration (including developments such as the increasing agencification that the European Union has recently been experiencing) comes into play in this scenario.

Be sure to download both documents - they are to be used in conjunction with one another (see below).

NORTIA Teaching Case Studies

NORTIA teaching plans are open-access and freely downloadable resources. They are “free to use” and “free to adjust” to make them work for your class.  For an overview of all NORTIA teaching case studies, click here.

NORTIA teaching case study consists of two parts: the “case study” to be shared with students, and the “teaching plan”. The case study is shared with students before the class, and students are encouraged to prepare the case study in depth. The teaching plan explains the learning objective, the rationale, and suggestions of how to use the teaching case study. It is meant as guidance for the academic instructor. For further guidance on how to teach with case studies we recommend the “case teaching resources” from the Harvard Kennedy School, and in particular their detailed guidance on “how to use teaching case studies” in practice.

The NORTIA teaching case studies are a starting point for European foreign policy teaching. In practice, it is likely that you as instructors will adjust the materials to your course, the background knowledge of your students, your teaching style etc. We would be really keen to hear from you on how you used the teaching case study, made it work for your setting and how it supported your teaching and the learning of your students. Please share your insights with us at eu.nortia@gmail.com.

This NORTIA teaching case study was written by Carlos Bravo-Laguna (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals [IBEI]; Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra [UPF]; cbravo@ibei.org), with the support of Robert Kissack (Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internactionals [IBEI]; rkissack@ibei.org). This case study initiative and the NORTIA Jean Monnet network received financial support from the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union under the grant agreement 587725-EPP-1-2017-1-NL-EPPJMO-NETWORK. NORTIA teaching plans are open-access and freely downloadable resources. NORTIA teaching cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussions. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective of ineffective teaching or management.