LibGuides: Public Policy: Policy Research

Government Agencies & Resources

A-Z Index of U.S. Agencies
Find contact information for U.S. federal government departments and agencies including websites, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and more. Get contact information for each state and territory.
Gov Info
U.S. Government information. Agencies, Regulations, Topics, etc.
Regulations.gov
Guide to agency policy & rule-making process and public comments.

Think Tank Directories

Research Institutes (WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources)
Annotated link directory of research and public policy institutes maintained by the World Wide Web Virtual Library editor for International Affairs. This directory features a strong emphasis on institutes dealing with international affairs and global policies.
Think Tanks Directory (Kennedy School of Government - Harvard University)
Link directory of over 150 major U.S. and international public policy think tanks maintained by the Kennedy School of Government Library at Harvard University.
World Directory of Think Tanks (National Institute for Research Advancement, Japan)
"Since 1993, Japan's National Institute for Research Advancement has published NIRA's World Directory of Think Tanks (NWDTT), which provides a systematic introduction to the world's most prominent and innovative public policy research institutes, or think tanks....The 2008 edition of NWDTT contains basic information on approximately 450 institutions from 100 countries."
2018 Global "Go-To" Think Tank Index and Abridged Report
266-page directory (in PDF format) of hundreds of major think tanks compiled by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Public Opinion & Polling Data

Eagleton Poll Archive (Rutgers University)
Electronic archive of polling data collected by the Center for Public Interest Polling/Eagleton Poll, one of the nation's first university-based statewide public opinion polls. Its key mission is to provide high-quality non-partisan information about public opinion in New Jersey and to assist governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and academic entities with research services. ...
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... The archive indexes over 120 sets of polling data available in SPSS portable format for polls conducted from 1971 to the present. Please note that you must email the Rutgers Data Librarian to request data files.
PollingReport.com
Convenient web site provides access to polling data from a large number of polling organizations. Includes a substantial amount of data dealing with politics and elections.
Zogby International
Zogby International is constantly searching, testing and measuring hypotheses and principles on polling and public opinion research. Working with a panel of psychologists, sociologists, computer experts, linguists, political scientists, economists,and mathematicians, we explore every nuance in language and test new methods in public opinion research.

Political Advocacy, Research & Scholarly Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
The ACLU functions as a non-profit, non-partisan "advocate of individual rights - litigating, legislating, and educating the public on a broad array of issues affecting individual freedom in the United States." Its mission is "to assure that the Bill of Rights -- amendments to the Constitution that guard against unwarranted governmental control -- are preserved for each new generation."
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
The AFL-CIO is a federation of 68 American unions in the private and public sector, representing more than 13 million working women and men nationwide. The federation and its member unions are politically active, and the site includes information about current legislative and policy priorities.
American Political Science Association
The largest U.S. professional association for scholars and students of politics and the publisher of the American Political Science Review, the APSA claims more than 13,500 members in over 70 countries. This site includes useful information about the organization and its activities, including a directory of the electronic discussion lists it has organized.
The Cato Institute
'A nonprofit public policy research institute founded in 1977, the Cato Institute has seen its influence and reputation grow to such an extent that it is now regarded as a source of some of the most innovative ideas originating from any policy think tank. ...
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... Taking its name from Cato's Letters, "a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundations for the American Revolution," Cato states that its mission "is to increase the understanding of public policies based on the principles of limited government, free markets, individual liberty, and peace." To that end, it maintains a robust publishing operation, releasing a number of important books each year as well as numerous briefing papers and studies. It publishes several scholarly journals and sponsors numerous conferences and book and policy forums in addition to maintaining a content-rich Web site.' [Choice]
Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP)
Research, education and public service center based at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics. CAWP's mission is "to promote greater understanding and knowledge about women's participation in politics and government and to enhance women's influence and leadership in public life." Resources at the site include online fact sheets, publications, and news.
Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF)
Research and advocacy organization "committed to empowering women and winning equality through research, the sharing of information of value to feminists everywhere, and effective action." FMF's web site includes current news and information on the variety of national and global issues in which the organization is active.
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Founded in 1970, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a national, nonprofit institution that conducts research on public policy issues of special concern to black Americans and other minorities. The site includes a discussion of "hot topics," statistical data, and the full text of selected reports produced since 1995.
Low Income Networking and Communications Project (LINC)
This site, a project of the Welfare Law Center, functions as a gateway to numerous organizations working with low-income groups in a numer of anti-poverty initiatives. Housing, hunger, homelessness, and economic justice are some of the issues these organizations address.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Founded in 1909, the NAACP has been active in the major civil rights campaigns of the last century. Its "principal objective is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of United States and eliminate race prejudice."
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Founded in 1966, NOW "is dedicated to making legal, political, social and economic change in our society" in order to achieve its goal, "which is to eliminate sexism and end all oppression." NOW's web site provides a good overview of the many political campaigns in which it is active. Also see NOW's Legal Defense and Education Fund for additional information.
PRISM:ASU Public Policy Repository
An Arizona State University resource, Morrison Institute is an independent center that uses nonpartisan research and communication outreach to help improve the state's quality of life. Morrison Institute is part of the College of Public Programs in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. Additional publications are available at the Morrison Institute for Public Policy. Date range of repository publications is 1992 – 2015.
Policy Library
The aim of the non-profit, non-partisan Policy Library is to place public policy knowledge in the public domain. This site supports that goal by providing access to a database of online policy and research papers - which aims to be progressively comprehensive in its coverage - from British think tanks to think tanks in English speaking world, to policy papers from universities and government research, to foreign language research papers.