Research by Subject: Public Policy
Books: Use the Library Catalog
CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online 
Theory and research in international affairs; working and occasional papers, research projects, conference proceedings, books, journals and policy briefs. 1991-
CongressNow 
Indexed in LexisNexis Academic, this publication covers Capitol Hill.
CQ Weekly
Weekly info on Congress: reports on upcoming issues, wrap up of news, status of bills, behind-the-scenes action, committee and floor activity, debates and all roll-call votes.
Military and Government Collection 
Current news pertaining to all branches of the military: full-text journals, periodicals and pamphlets; indexing/abstracts for additional titles.
ProQuest
Business, humanities, general information, social life, law etc. ABI/INFORM databases, ProQuest Newspapers, Research Library and several others.
Note: Scroll down to pick and choose your own combination of databases to search.
Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
Indexes & abstracts research papers in the social sciences (legal, management, marketing, political, etc.). Contains working / forthcoming papers (not yet available in print). Some are fulltext.
Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy (SSPP)
A peer-reviewed, open access journal that provides a platform for the dissemination of new practices and for dialogue emerging out of the field of sustainability.
LexisNexis Academic
Full-text access to continuously updated news, law, and business information. Highlights: News: newswires, transcripts, regional, national/international news, & Gallup Polls; Legal: law review articles, federal case law, and federal/state codes; Business: company profiles, country profiles, and SEC filings; People: directories from the entertainment industry, elected officials, executives, politicians, and obituaries. Also has a section that includes full-text of several health newsletters and abstracts of articles in major medical journals.
Compendium: Cultural policies and trends in Europe
From the website: The Compendium is a joint venture between the Council of Europe and the ERICarts Institute, realised with a community of practice of independent cultural policy researchers, NGOs, national governments and information partners.
Docuticker
Daily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo's, think tanks, and other groups.
PolicyArchive
Digital library of public policy research with more than 12,000 policy documents from about 220 think tanks and research groups.
Tech Policy Central
News on the intersection of government policy and technology.
Congressional Biographical Directory.
Biographical information for past and current members of the US Congress.
CQ's Politics in America
Call Number: REF DESK JK1083 .B55
Published annually, it contains in-depth profiles of members of Congress. Current ed. at the Reference Desk. Prior 4 years are in the General Stacks.
Communication & Legal Studies: Keep me Posted @ IC Library
Blog of legal, communication, and library news in service to the programs in the Park School of Communications and Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies.
Daily Kos
Progressive community blog.
Huffington Post
Edgy leftist blog founded by Arianna Huffington.
The Nation : Blogs
The Nation magazine\'s blog site. Includes: Campaign 08, Editor\'s Cut, The Beat, Actnow!, The Dreyfuss Report, Capitolism, The Notion, And Another Thing. Liberal perspecitve.
The National Review : Blog Row
National Review magazine's Blog Row includes: Bench Memos, Campain Spot, The Corner, Frum, Kudlow, Liberal Fascism, Media Blog, Phi Beta Cons, Planet Gore, Pryce-Jones, and Tank. Default is to The Corner. Conservative perspective.
Politico
Online magazine with blogs covering American politics.
Talking Points Memo (TPM)
Josh Marshall's political blog.
TNR Blogs
The New Republic: A Journal of Politics and the Art magazine (TNR) hosts the following blogs: The Plank, The Stump, The Spine, The Flack, and The Vine.
Weekly Standard : The Blog
The Weekly Standard, a conservative news magazine, includes the following blogs: The Campaign Standard and The Worldwide Standard.
Annenberg Public Policy Center
University of Pennsylvania public policy center that provides expert analysis on political communication, information & society, media & children, health communication, and adolescent risk.
Center for Policy Research (Syracuse University)
Collection of essays on current public policy issues in aging, health, income security, metropolitan studies and related research.
Harvard Kennedy School
Public policy research from Harvard. Information can be accessed under the Research & Publications tab.
Congressional Directory (U.S. Congress)
Presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers. It also lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, including D.C. government officials, governors of states and territories, foreign diplomats, and members of the press, radio, and television galleries.
CQ public affairs collection
Vital issues, statistical and historical analysis, historic documents, primary source materials and a directory of key government, nonprofit, and private organizations in each of the major policy areas.
New York Red Book
Call Number: REF DESK JK3430.N5
Annual directory of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of New York government. The current edition is behind the reference desk. Most prior editions from 1897+ are in general stacks.
Union of International Organizations : databases
The following UIA databases are searchable for free: World Problems-Issues, Global Strategies-Solutions, Human Development, Bibliography (issues), Human Values, Integrative Concepts, Patterns &Metaphors. Users can create an account for added features.
United States Government Manual
Provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees.
Call Number: REF JK421 .A3
Provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees.
ebrary
Over 44,000 full-text ebooks on business & economics, education, technology, humanities, life & physical sciences, law & politics, medicine, social & behavioral sciences, language & literature, and career guidance. Approximately 175 ebooks are single-user access titles; all other ebooks support multiple-user simultaneous use. In order to view, copy, or print from an ebook, you must download and install the ebrary Reader plugin.
Note: Viewer download works best with IE; don't use pop-up blockers; remote users may encounter a warning about a certificate during login - just accept it
Television across Europe: Regulation, Policy and Independence
Eumap.org, 2005. There are updates to this survey by the EU Monitoring and Advocacy program at mediapolicy.org. Available in PDF format. EUMAP is a programme of the Open Society Institute, a Soros Foundations network.
American Jurisprudence 2d
A standard encyclopedia of American Law. Entries cite relevant case law.
Major Acts of Congress. 
An illustrated encyclopedia of congressional acts from the earliest days of the American republic up through recent years.
West's Encyclopedia of American Law, 2nd ed.
Is a reference devoted to the terms and concepts of U.S. law. It covers a wide variety of persons, entities, and events that have shaped the U.S. legal system.
African Union (AU)
Organization that promotes integration of African countries that promotes Africa\'s role in the global economy while addressing social, economic and political problems that come from globalization.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Multi-national organization that aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, as well as justice and the rule of law as per the UN Charter.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The US EPA provides information on major environmental topics, including laws and regulations.
Europe\'s Information Society
European Union thematic portal on information society and media and policies (audiovisual, copyright, digital libraries, internet, etc.).
United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
News, statistics, reports and cases. Covers a wide variety of media such as radio, television, cable, broadband, wireless, etc.
Federal News Service
LexisNexis file containing: White House briefings and Presidential statements. Includes some Congressional hearings, National Press Club Speeches and conferences when they address major topics of current interest.
Federal Register via GPO Access
Lists U.S. federal agency announcements and information, such as presidential documents, executive orders, agency meetings, grant opportunities, and proposed federal regulations. Published by 10 a.m. (EST) every business day.
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) 1861-1960
Digital facsimile of these government documents. Covers 1861-1960 with some gaps. Also available in print and microfiche at JX233.A3rn
Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) 1961-1975
Digital facsimile of these government documents See also IC Library stacks & microfiche at: JX233 .A3 for earlier volumes
Government Accountability Office (GAO)
The GAO investigates and reports on the use of government funds for Congress. Full text copies of the reports are available by searching the site.
GPO Access
Government Printing Office site. Links to official U.S.government documents such as the U.S. Code (USC) and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Search the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications in the middle of the homepage to find Congressional hearings, reports, etc.
Military Education Research Library Network (MERLN)
Database of defense-related U.S. policy statements.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS): Virtual Library
US Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs site that is a portal to justice and substance abuse information useful for research and policy development. Topics include: corrections, courts, crime, crime prevention, drugs, the justice system, juvenile justice, law enforcement and victims. The collection of several thousand full-text publications, primarily government documents, can be searched.
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
Bureau of the US Dept. of Commerce that advises the president on telecommunications policies.
New York State Legislature: Bills and Laws
Search bill text, status, summaries, sponsor memos, and floor vote. Links to search for NYS Legislative Bills, NYS Legislative Resolutions, and the Laws of New York (see also: LexisNexis - Federal & State Codes - NY Consolidated Law Service).
Open CRS: Congressional Research Report for the People
Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides background reports to Congress yet they were not distributed to government document collections. Citizens had to write their Congressional representatives to obtain copies. The Open CRS site has indexed and posted copies of these valuable documents.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Member countries are committed to democracy and the market economy.
Organization of American States (OAS)
Multi-national organization of Western nations committed to democracy, and other social justice issues such as: poverty, terrorism, illegal drugs, corruption, etc.
Project Sunlight
NY State Office of the Attorney General's portal to NY State information.
Thomas - Legislative Information
Database of United States legislative information including: bills, resolutions, the Congressional Record, treaties, Committee Reports, Public Laws, Roll Call Votes, etc.
The White House
Official site for the Executive branch of the Federal Government. Includes speeches for the President and Vice President, press briefings, and information on appointments, nominations, and cabinet departments.
CQ Researcher
In-depth, nonpartisan reports of political and social issues on topics in health, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, the U.S. economy, etc. Each report provides original, comprehensive reporting on issues, along with tools to study how issues have changed over time.
FactCheck.org
Annenberg Political fact check site.
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
A national media watch group that monitors media bias and censorship.
National Survey of State Laws
Call Number: REF KF386 .N38 2008
6th ed., 2008. Identifies sections of state codes, state by state, for popular issue areas such as: antitrust, capital punishment, gun control, prayer in schools, whistleblower statues, abortion, gambling, right to die, lotteries, taxes, etc.
Associated Press (AP)
Daily news. Also in LexisNexis: News
Drudge Report
Aggregated news feeds from Matt Drudge. Some original reporting. Considered conservative leaning.
United Press International (UPI)
Daily news. Also in LexisNexis: News.
International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)
Founded in 1968 IREX is a nonprofit organization that proices leadership and programs that improve education, independent media and foster civil society development. Reports such as the Media Sustainability Index are posted to their website.
Amnesty International
Advocates for human rights around the world. Search the research page to find AI reports.
Brookings Institution
Public policy think tank that supports research in a wide array of areas including: education, Asian policy, children, socio-economics, health care, Middle East policy, taxation, etc.
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
A coalition of health care professionals, educators and parents who advocate against children's' exposure to commercialism through marketing. There are almost 30 member organizations.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Think tank founded in 1910 that promotes peace between nations. Maintains programs on: China, Democracy & the Rule of Law, the Middle East, Nonproliferation, Russia &Eurasia, South Asia, & Trade, Equity & Development.
CATO Institute
Libertarian think tank founded in 1977 that provide research in the following areas: Bioethics, Education &Child Policy, Government &Politics, Immigration &Labor, Law &Civil Liberties, Regulatory Studies, National Security &Foreign Policy, Budget &Tax Policy, Energy &Environment, Health &Welfare, International Economics, Political Philosophy, and Telecom, Internet & Information Policy.
Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Think tank on national security policy.
Center for Digital Democracy
Advocates for the public regarding the emerging digital communications landscape.
Children NOW
Advocacy organization that addresses public policy issues that concern children.
Council on Foreign Relations
Foreign policy think tank. Publishes the journal Foreign Affairs.
Educause
Nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of higher education through information technology.
European Science Foundation (ESF)
An Association of 77 member organizations devoted to scholarly research in 30 European counties. Research areas are: Humanities; Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences; Medical Sciences; Physical and Engineering Sciences; Social Sciences. Research topics: Marine Board; Polar Board; Space Sciences; Nuclear Physics; Radio Astronomy.
Guttmacher Institute
Public policy institute focused on sexual and reproductive health.
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Advocacy group defending human rights around the world. Site can be searched by country or by issue area. Many free documents can be accessed under the publications page. An annual film festival is held.
Institute for Policy Studies
Founded in 1963, IPS is a progressive think tank dedicated to social justice.
Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA)
Founded in 1997 by Norman Solomon, the IPA assists progressive & grassroots organizations get coverage in mainstream media.
International Anticounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
Promotes laws and regulations that combats intellectual property theft such as counterfeiting and piracy. Members include the RIAA & the MPAA.
International Food Policy Research Institute
Institute that advocates sustainable solutions for ending hunger and poverty through data, research, and outreach activities.
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Nonprofit organization that researches the economy.
National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA)
Nonpartisan policy research organization that advocates for alternatives to government regulation in favor of self-regulation of the private sector.
National Governors Association (NGA)
Collective voice of America\'s governors since 1908. Includes policy reports and the Center for Best Practices.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Alliance of 26 countries in North America & Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in 1949.
Pew Center on the States
Policy solutions for state governments from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
RAND Corporation
Think tank that publishes reports in the following issue areas: Arts, Child Policy, Civil Justice, Education, Energy &Environment, Health &Health Care, International Affairs, National Security, Population & Aging, Public Safety, Science &Technology, Substance Abuse, Terrorism &Homeland Security, Transportation & Infrastructure, &Workforce &Workplace.
Transgender Law & Policy Institute
Contains an up-to-date listing of all laws in the US that are transgender-inclusive and resources and information on legal issues affecting transgendered and gender variant people in the US.
U.S. PIRG
A federation of state Public Interest Research Groups that advocates for the American public on a variety of issue areas: product safety, toxins, health care, transportation, politics, media, taxes, higher education, etc.
What Works Clearinghouse
Institute of Education Sciences, US Dept. of Education. Site includes reports, research, working papers, etc. to assist in education decision making.
ICPSR: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Social Sciences data sets: principally collections of raw, unanalyzed data files designed for researchers conducting statistical analysis in disciplines such as political science, sociology, demography, history, economics, international relations, gerontology, public health, criminal justice, and education. ICPSR data sets can be downloaded directly to a user's computer for use with statistical software packages.
The National Security Archive (at George Washington University)
Declassified documents pertaining to national security obtained by FOIA requests.
American Presidency Project 
A digital archive of the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States from Hoover to Bush (1929 to present); see also IC Library stacks at: J80 .A283. The site also includes: inaugural addresses, radio addresses, fireside chats, debates, convention speeches, and party platforms.
Congressional Budget Office (US)
Website with a current Monthly Budget Review, Budget Projections, Economic Projections, Status of Discretionary Appropriations, Historical Budget Data Spreadsheets for Selected Estimates and Projections, and a rnGlossary of Budgetary and Economic Terms.
Congressional Committee Reports (US Congress)
Beginning with the 104th Congress (1995-1996) to the present.
CQ public affairs collection
Vital issues, statistical and historical analysis, historic documents, primary source materials and a directory of key government, nonprofit, and private organizations in each of the major policy areas.
Europa : European Union On-Line
Gateway to European Union. It provides up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs and essential information on European integration. Go to the Documents tab to connect to EUR-LEX (E.U. Law), the Bulletin of the E.U., and other agency materials.
New York State Digital Collections: catalog
Contains over 65,000 documents relating to New York State. Three main collections include: 1. New York State Government Publications (Regents exams from 1957 to current), 2. New York State Scanned Documents Collection (broadsides, maps, manuscripts, and special collections) and 3. Education Laws and Policy documents
New York State Executive budget
Website for NY Division of the Budget.
Official Documents of the United Nations (ODS)
Full text UN documents from 1993+; General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, & Trusteeship Council from 1946+
United states code congressional and administrative news (USCCAN)
Call Number: REF KF48 .U58
Contains public laws, legislative histories, executive messages and orders, administrative regulations, lists of committees, indexes & tables, for each session of Congress. Library has 1952+ (lacks 1961, 1963, 1965-66).
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents
This official government publication contains speeches, press coferences and other statements by the president of the United States. 1993+
ICPSR: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
Social Sciences data sets: principally collections of raw, unanalyzed data files designed for researchers conducting statistical analysis in disciplines such as political science, sociology, demography, history, economics, international relations, gerontology, public health, criminal justice, and education. ICPSR data sets can be downloaded directly to a user's computer for use with statistical software packages.
CPANDA (Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive)
Archives data on arts, media, and cultural policy.
Human Development Reports
From the UNDP, the Human Development Reports is a annual publication that examines global progress. Includes data and statistics.
ICPSR
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Indexes & Abstracts social science data. Access to data sets (data tab) is for subscribers only. Links to a portal of general social science data sites.
Media Research Hub
This project of the Social Science Research Council contains links to data, grants, events, people and news in the field of media research (media ownership, radio, television, localism, FCC, etc.). Data sets are free of charge. Users can create an account and receive alerts.
National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)
Facilitates criminal justice research by making available data, reports, and publications. Users can create an account. Some data is restricted to ICPSR members.
Opensecrets.org: Your Guide to the Money in U.S. Elections
This site by the Center for Responsive Politics eports on PACs, donors, soft money and lobbyists.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
The authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Site includes the following databases: Facts on International Relations and Security Trends; Multilateral Peace Operations; Data on Military Expenditure; Data on Arms Transfers; Data on Arms Production; Database on National Export Control Systems
UNdata
UNdata pools major UN databases and those of several international organizations - browse, search and download data from a large number of statistical databases. Data categories include: agriculture, education, employment, energy, environment, health, human development, industry, information and communication technology, national accounts, population, refugees, trade, and tourism.
C-SPAN 
Non-profit corporation funded by cable and satellite affiliates that provides public access to daily political events such as congressional debates.rnrn
FORA.tv
Streaming video of lectures in politics, business, technology, the world, and culture, from academics, think tanks, authors, politicians, etc. Users can sign in to customize the site.
Everyzing
Audio and video search engine.
UChannel
A collection of public affairs lectures, panels and events from academic institutions all over the world - users can view, listen to, stream or download. Offered freely by Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
University Computer Policy and Law Program
Cornell University, Office of Information Technology, posts free lectures that discuss information technology ethics.
Washington Post: Political Ads Database
Political ads for U.S. federal or state gubernatorial issues and races. Searchable by year, type of race, candidate or organization, state, party, issue, character, cue, media outlet, music, narrator gender, and by type.
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