Public Policy Resources
Here are a few important resources for tracking policy, from the most recent policy discussions to a more historical view.
- CQ Weekly - Provides a summary of the events having taken place in Congress that week. Includes texts of important documents, summary of action on major bills, and the voting record of members. Much of the information later appears in the CQ Almanac.
- CQ Almanac - Provides analysis of U.S. congressional legislation during the preceding year. Tracks legislation throughout its course in Congress. Coverage begins in 1945.
- Congress & the Nation - Tracks legislative activity of the four preceding years.
- How to Trace Federal Regulations
- Congressional Research Service reports
- Primo (selected subject heading examples)
Taxation -- United States -- Legislation
Immigrants - Government Policy - United States
Parental leave - United States
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Database of historical and government documents, including the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, the U.S. Reports, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, case law, world trials, foreign relations, and much more.
- Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new window
CIAO is designed to be the most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs that includes working papers from university research institutes, papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, and conference proceedings.
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
Uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to display a variety of data reflecting the United States through custom layered demographic maps, tables, reports, and analytics.
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
This general database allows for academic searches in any discipline in a variety of formats. Good for broad or interdisciplinary searches to kick off your research.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Coverage of hundreds of journals and reports in the fields of communication and mass media.
Top Journals in this Field:
• Policy Studies Journal
• Policy Review
• Policy Studies
• Criminology & Public Policy
• Development Policy Review
• Energy Policy
• Asian American Policy Review
Use the Intergovernmental Organization Search Engine (a Google custom search) to search across hundreds of IGO websites
Quick links for government and IGO information: These are some of the top resources for information from governments and IGOs.
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Govinfoys, the Federal Digital System from the Government Printing Office (GPO), provides online access to official publications from all three branches of the U.S. federal government, including the federal budget, congressional documents, the U.S. Code, and more. Coverage will vary by collection, but many publications are available in full text back to the 1990s.
- UN Official Documents System "The United Nations Official Document System (ODS), since its inception in 1993, covers all types of official United Nations (UN) documentation. ODS provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards."
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UNBISnet - UN Bibliographic Information System Catalog of United Nations documents and publications indexed by the UN's libraries in NYC and Geneva; coverage is from 1979-onward, with older documents added regularly. Also provides some full-text access, including resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council from 1946 onward.
Use the Non-governmental Organization Search Engine to search across NGO websites. Sites were chosen based on their consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and also collated from University of Minnesota Human Rights Library, Duke University Libraries' NGO Research Guide, and the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO).Europa
What are Think Tanks?
Think tank is a phrase used to describe organizations (usually non-profit) which conduct public policy research and analysis.
They often publish papers based on their research and make them available for free on their web sites.
Some think tanks are non-partison, but others advocate particular political positions. Be sure to take this into consideration when evaluating their material.
List of Think Tanks
- Columbia International Affairs Online This link opens in a new windowJournal articles, working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGO\'s, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, and policy briefs.
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PolicyArchive (Center for Governmental Studies)PolicyArchive is a digital archive of public policy research that includes summaries and full texts, videos, reports, briefs, and multimedia material from think tank, university, government, and foundation-funded policy research. Search by topic, author, funding agency, and more.
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Institute for Social and Policy Studies (Yale University)"The Institution for Social and Policy Studies advances interdisciplinary research in the social sciences that aims to shape public policy and inform democratic deliberation." (About ISPS)
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Annenberg Public Policy Center"The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania has been the premier communication policy center in the country since its founding in 1993. By conducting and releasing research, staging conferences and hosting policy discussions, its scholars have addressed the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics and mental health, among other important arenas. The Center’s researchers have drafted materials that helped policy-makers, journalists, scholars, constituent groups and the general public better understand the role that media play in their lives and the life of the nation." (About the Center)
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Center for Strategic and International StudiesCSIS is a bipartisan, non-profit organization focused on "defense and security; regional stability; and transnational challenges ranging from energy and climate to global development and economic integration."
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RAND CorporationSelect the "Research" tab to find research briefs and other policy-oriented publications.
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IssueLab (The Foundation Center)"Access to thousands of case studies, evaluations, white papers, and issue briefs addressing some of the world's most pressing social problems."
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Google Tech Policy CenterThe Google Tech Policy blog contains relevant policy related materials based on technology
Polling data
Social science data curated and archived by the Odum Institute Data Archive at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Key collections include the primary holdings of the Louis Harris Data Center, the National Network of State Polls, and other Southern-focused public opinion data.
a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. A subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Some basic data sets
The statistical office of the European Union
NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) Current and historical; NBER is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. Provides data sets about macroeconomics, industry, international trade, individual income and expenditure data, etc.
UN Demographic and Social Statistics 1948-present; United Nations Statistics Division ; demographic characteristics of countries, including population, households, housing, income, health and more.
Demographic data
Census Bureau Economic Statistics Dates vary; U.S. Census Bureau gateway provides access to data from various economic and business-related censuses, surveys, and other programs, including: Economic Census, County Business Patterns, Annual Survey of Manufactures, Foreign Trade Industry snapshots from census data available at http://business.census.gov
Other social science data sets
Monthly Bulletin of Statistics (United Nations) This link opens in a new window Presents current economic and social statistics for more than 200 countries and territories of the world, current.
Comparative Agendas Project
"The Comparative Agendas Project collects and organizes data from archived sources to track policy outcomes across countries."--from web site
Election and Polling Data
MIT's Election Lab "supports advances in election science by collecting, analyzing, and sharing core data and findings... [and] aim to build relationships with election officials and others to help apply new scientific research to the practice of democracy in the United States."
United States Historical Election Returns Series (ICPSR)
State Elections Websites (usa.gov)
Links to all 50 states' election office websites for state-wide voting information.
Vital Statistics on the Presidency (through 2012)
Statistics on presidential selection and elections, including primary and party convention results, nomination methods by state, popular and electoral votes by state, presidential and Congressional party alignment, voter turnout by state, national vote share by demographic group.
List of US official election results by state (Wikipedia)
Provides inks to each state's election division and official returns, with coverage dates for available returns.
Dave Leips' Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections
This dataset provides official election results for presidential, congressional, and gubernatorial popular elections in the United States. Data are collected from various official sources. Data from this internet site are included in Data-Planet database.
Election Statistics, 1920 to Present
"Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has collected and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the official sources among the various states and territories.
United States Historical Election Returns Series
" ICPSR's holdings of historical election data cover the years 1788-1990 and consist of several discrete datasets that contain county- and state-level returns for all elections to the offices of president, governor, United States senator, and United States representative. ICPSR distributes three major general election data collections: United States Historical Election Returns, 1824-1968 (ICPSR 0001), General Election Data for the United States, 1950-1990 (ICPSR 0013), and United States Historical Election Returns, 1788-1823 (ICPSR 0079). "
U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC)
Includes data on voter registration by county for each state. Includes other information on voter registration.
Congressional Voting Data
Voteview allows users to view every congressional roll call vote in American history on a map of the United States and on a liberal-conservative ideological map including information about the ideological positions of voting Senators and Representatives (Voteview About page)
US Budget Information
Budget of the US Government (usa.gov)
Background, basic information, and links
"USA Spending tracks federal spending to ensure taxpayers can see how their money is being used in communities across America. Learn more on how this money was spent with tools to help you navigate spending from top to bottom."
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
"Since 1975, CBO has produced independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process. Each year, the agency’s economists and budget analysts produce dozens of reports and hundreds of cost estimates for proposed legislation. CBO is strictly nonpartisan; conducts objective, impartial analysis; and hires its employees solely on the basis of professional competence without regard to political affiliation. CBO does not make policy recommendations, and each report and cost estimate summarizes the methodology underlying the analysis."
These resources provide quick, easy access to federal and/or state legislative information, and encourage users to keep up with politics and policy through convenient tracking tools.
Best Bets
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Congress.govTrack federal bills and view other sources of information from Congress, including the daily Congressional Record.
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Open StatesEnter a U.S. address or select a state to research bills, view voting records, contact elected officials, and more.
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Sunlight Foundation PolicyTrack federal actions and policy analysis
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LegiStorm.Track legislation, read policy reports, explore state by state representation
Additional State Tracking
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billtrack50Sign up for an account to build your own search to see a short summary of results, and then click to see the full bill text, action history, voting records, plus sponsors and detailed contact information for all legislators. Additional tools available at cost.
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LegiscanSign up for an account to track home state and federal bills, has a free API... Additional tools available at cost
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NCSL 50 State DatabaseThe National Conference for State Legislatures provides 50 state analysis/documents by topic here.Congressional Voting Data
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VoteviewVoteview allows users to view every congressional roll call vote in American history on a map of the United States and on a liberal-conservative ideological map including information about the ideological positions of voting Senators and Representatives (Voteview About page)
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Federal Budget Information
• National Journal
• Rand Corp.
• Policy Issues
• Pew Research Center
• Ethics & Public Policy Center
• Migration Policy Institute
• Public Agenda
• Global Health Policy
• Kaiser Family Foundation
• SIPRI (Peace Research Inst.)
• U.S. PIRG
• Institute for Policy Studies
• Food Policy Research Institute
• AARP Policy & Research
• GAO
• GPO
• Bipartisan Policy Center
• Congress.gov
• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget