On August 21, the finals of the 2021 Tsinghua International Case Analysis Competition of Public Policy on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were successfully held online. This competition was co-organized by the China Case Center for Public Policy and Management (CCCPPM) at SPPM of Tsinghua University and the Institute for Sustainable Development Goals of Tsinghua University (TUSDG).

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The competition aims to encourage global students from different courtiers, cultures, universities and professional backgrounds to pay attention to sustainable development public policy issues, develop academic analytical skills and critical thinking abilities by discussing complex and real-life scenarios.

This year’s competition attracted 49 teams from 53 universities and colleges across China, the U.S., the U.K., Switzerland, Singapore, Ireland, Australia and Germany, with a total of 147 participants. Students selected case topics around the Sustainable Development Goals and worked in teams to study real-world challenges, interview organizations and individuals, discover interesting phenomena, and put forward innovative policy solutions for sustainable development problems. After two rounds of selection during the past four months, 13 undergraduate student teams and 10 master student teams entered the final contests.

Students Conducting Field Research

In the opening ceremony, Zhu Xufeng, Professor and Associate Dean of the SPPM, Executive Dean of the TUSDG, delivered remarks. He congratulated all the students for making it to the finals and thanked them for their hard work in promoting SDGs implementation. He pointed out that all the case studies aimed to tackle the three major human challenges – social, economic and environmental challenges – which are the core content of the 17 SDGs adopted by the world leaders in 2015. He encouraged young students totake a lead to address the issues of sustainable development by using the weapon of knowledge, the power of courage, and the strength of innovation.

Zhu Xufeng also introduced that the SPPM selects excellent candidates from the competition annually to study at Tsinghua-Geneva Dual Master’s Program for SDGs to cultivate young talents in the field of sustainable development and global governance. He welcomedall students to apply for this Dual Master’s Program for SDGs.

Zhu Xufeng Delivering Opening Remarks

The final contests of master and undergraduate students were held simultaneously after the opening ceremony.Thejudges for the master student competition were Zheng Zhenqing, Associate Professor and Academic Director of IMPA Program at SPPM, Dai Yixin, Associate Professor at SPPM and Deputy Director of China Institute for Science and Technology Policy, and Gui Tianhan, Assistant Professor at SPPM. The judges for the undergraduate student competition included Poon Kit, Professor and Director of EMPA Program at SPPM, Meng Ke, Associate Professor at SPPM, and Zhang Penglong, Assistant Professor at SPPM.

Judging Panel for Master Student Competition

(Left to Right: Dai Yixin, Zheng Zhenqing, Gui Tianhan)

Judging Panel for Undergraduate Student Competition

(Left to Right: Zhang Penglong, Poon Kit, Meng Ke)

Each team spent eight minutes for presentations on topics such as batteryrecycling, elderly care, farmland conservation, water safety, women empowerment, poverty alleviation, delivery workers’ rights, vaccination, psychological health policy during COVID-19 pandemic, and etc. Then they took seven minutes to answer questions from the judging panel.

Students Competing Online

The award ceremony was held in the evening.The guests present included Zheng Zhenqing, and Mu Ling, Assistant Dean of SPPM and Director of CCCPPM, and Zhang Yun, Deputy Director of CCCPPM.

Mu Ling gave a closing speech. She expressed her pleasure to see that young talentsarepassionate about the sustainability topics, have unique views on real-world challenges, and try to find solutions for sustainable development problems. She said, “Developing and analyzing cases is an effective method to link theory to practice, which helps students apply and integrate knowledge, skills, theories and experiences.” She hoped this competition provides an opportunity for everyone to practice case study method, conduct field research, delve into the complex dimensions of public policy making, implementation and evaluation process, and finally develop some high-quality case studies.

Award Ceremony Offline Site

(Left to Right: Zhang Yun, ZhengZhenqing, MuLing)

Based on the aggregate performance of case analysis report writing, final presentation andQ&A session, the judging panel selected seven teams in total for the first, second and third prizes. All other finalists received honorable mention awards. Zheng Zhenqing and Meng Ke announced the final winning teams.

Apurva Sankar, one of the participants from National University of Singapore, said that her teammates were scattered in the U.S., Singapore and China under the epidemic, but they overcame the hardships to work together as a team and eventually got the first prize. She was very happy and hoped their team’s case study will bring more attention and understanding to issues about empowerment of rural women and poverty alleviation.

The First Prize Team of Master Student Competition

The First Prize Team of Undergraduate Student Competition

Photos of All Contestants

Winning Teams of Master Student Competition

Winning Teams of Undergraduate Student Competition