a case study in (something)

Something that acts as a prime example of some larger issue or idea. The devastation of the economic recession on the small country has been a case study in the dangers of deregulating financial markets. The way the new CEO is doing this is a case study in "how not to run a business." Two of the triplets have found incredible success, one as a world-renowned scientist and the other as an accomplished author and playwright, while the third has done very little with his life. It's certainly an interesting case study in nature versus nurture, don't you think?