Tips for policy research
Here are some tips to make it easier to find information on your policy/act:
- Be sure that you have /find the formal name, nickname, and numbers for your act (House Number, Senate Number, . . .) these will be used in different sources. For example: newspapers will refer to the nickname and formal government sources will refer to the formal name.
- Find the text of the act - this will tell you all the act says, where the responsibility for it's actions lay and what the results of it's work is reported. and how often it is reported. Seeing the reports will show you how effective it has been.
- Look at the Hearings for the act, they will include the amended transcripts of the testimony, evidence and discussions of the bill. This will tell you why the bill was proposed and what things it is to address.
- Remember that later amendments may be added to your act. You should be aware of these and how they change the act. as well as who and why it was changed.
Topic Overviews
These will help you identify, from policy area articles, laws and acts related to them:
- Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new window Current research focused on social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. Coverage: 1981 - present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window Abstracts and indexes from international journals in sociology, social psychology, and behavioral sciences. Coverage: 1952 - current.
- CQ Almanac This link opens in a new window Full-text articles on the coverage and analysis of US congressional legislation, includes how bills are changed, derailed, or ultimately passed during an annual session of Congress. Coverage: 1945 - present.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Full-text of historical and government documents in a searchable, image-based format. Includes law journals and historical collections of U.S. federal government documents. Coverage: 1925 - present.
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN) - Open Access The Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is a database of social science research and is composed of various specialized research networks. The SSRN eLibrary consists of two parts: an Abstract Database containing abstracts on over 384,300 scholarly working papers and forthcoming papers and an Electronic Paper Collection currently containing over 315,000 downloadable full text documents in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
- Congressional Research Service Reports These documents were prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
National Legal Resources
- Congress.gov Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service
- Major Acts of Congress This link opens in a new window Full-text volume set contains landmark pieces of legislation, aspects of legislation are covered, including the National Prohibition Act, the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and much more.
- CRS Reports from Congress These documents were prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.
- GPO: Monthly Catalog This link opens in a new window Collection of publications printed by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, including legislative, judicial, and executive branch materials. Coverage: July 1976 - present.
- Political Science Abstracts - World Wide This link opens in a new window Indexes of political science and international relations literature. Including abstracts of journals, provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and working papers. Coverage: 1975 - present.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Full-text articles on news, business, and legal sources, radio and television transcripts, federal and state court cases, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and law reviews. Coverage: 1790 - present.
- ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window Archive of public law from its early consideration to its enactment, including development that spans more than one Congress. Coverage: 1789 - present.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window Full-text archive of the Congressional Record, Annals of Congress, the Register of Debates, and the Congressional Globe. Coverage: 1789 - present.
Global Resources
- Global-Regulation.com This link opens in a new window Laws, statues and regulations from over 100 countries. Includes translation to English and link to the official full-text sources.
- World Bank eLibrary The eLibrary contains the final, peer-reviewed versions of the Bank’s formal publications. The World Bank conducts and publishes research from all around the world on a range of global issues including development policy, finance, health, education, climate change, aid effectiveness, and poverty. The eLibrary contains all books, working papers, and journal articles since the 1990s in multiple formats.
- World Politics Review This link opens in a new window An online publication and resource for foreign policy professionals and readers with a serious interest in international politics and foreign affairs. Coverage: 2006 - present
- Political Science Abstracts - World Wide This link opens in a new window Indexes of political science and international relations literature. Including abstracts of journals, provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and working papers. Coverage: 1975 - present.
Illinois
- Illinois.govIllinois.gov is the official site for the overall government of Illinois and includes general information about the branches of the Illinois government.
- Illinois General AssemblyThis site includes public acts from 1971-present as well as compiled statutes, legislative reports and bills and resolutions.
- Illinois Administrative CodeThis is an online version of the Illinois Administrative Code which regulates the behavior of all state government departments and programs.
City of Chicago
- Chicago Municipal CodeThe Municipal Code is a published compilation of City laws and their revisions organized according to subject matter (arranged by title, chapter and section). The Municipal Code is updated periodically as new ordinances are adopted by the City Council.
- City of Chicago Minutes & AgendasThe Journal of the Proceedings serves as the official record of City Council meetings and reflects all legislative actions. Included in the official record is a synopsis of Mayoral and Aldermanic introductions referred to committees, committee reports, complete text of adopted legislation, roll call votes, motions and parliamentary actions, notifications of filings with and legislative publications by the City Clerk, approval of City Council Journal, and other actions taken on the Council Floor.
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. (Wikipedia) Some of their reports can also be found in the databases listed on this page.
- Think Tank Search (Harvard Kennedy School Library) A custom Google search that searches the websites of notable think tanks. Can search US and international.
- Worldpress Review Online's Think Tank Directory An alphabetical index of think tanks and research organizations.
- Open Think Tank Directory The Open Think Tank Directory captures information about more than 2700 think tanks from around the globe.
- TTCSP Go To Global Think Tank Report Annual rankings of think tanks.
- Apolitical Analysis & reporting on policy innovations, used by civil servants in 140+ countries. Strong international coverage. A good place to look for policy alternatives & their implementations. Note: you will need to create a (free) account.
- On Think Tanks The Open Think Tank Directory captures information about more than 2600 think tanks and related organisations from around the globe. We have not just captured names and websites – our directory includes a wide range of information about the think tanks, including the topics they focus on, how to contact them, and more. This allows for a range of comparisons, which you’ll see throughout the site and as part of our data visualisations of the data set.
- OpenSecrets.org Nonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy. Followthemoney.org merged with Open Secrets.
- Access World News This link opens in a new window Full-text newspapers, magazines, web-only content from U.S. and international news sources. Coverage: 1978 - present.
- Illinois Newspapers This link opens in a new window Full-text daily and weekly newspapers from Illinois. Coverage: 1972 - present.
- U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new window Full-text news sources including newspapers, newswires, news journals, television and radio transcripts, blogs, podcasts, and digital-only websites. Coverage: 1980 - present.
- New York Times Website This link opens in a new window Complete access to the New York Times online edition (nytimes.com) from 1980 through the present. Users must create an account using their LUC email, to gain access to nytimes.com from any web browser or smart phone app, on or off campus, with no monthly limits on article access. This resource is limited to current students, faculty, and staff. Note: HSL students/faculty/staff need to sign up via http://accessnyt.com
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- Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window Full-text news articles covering business, economics, and finances. Coverage: 1984 - present. Users must register to access resource. Every 180 days users must refresh (or click through the Libraries’ link again). Please register here: WSJ.com/LUC before attempting to access this resource.
- Washington Post (website) This link opens in a new window Unlimited access to WashingtonPost.com content. First time users need to create an account from https://www.washingtonpost.com. Click Sign In, then click Sign Up. Enter your LUC email address and agree to the terms of service. Go to your "Account Settings", click on the "My subscriptions"; tab, and click "Activate free digital access" to get free access to the Post. Email verification will follow.
Other newspapers can be found on the News Resources Guide.
- National Association of Social Workers: Advocacy This leading professional organization tracks current activities of Congress and provides issue briefs based on their legislative agenda in the following areas: child welfare, civil rights, economic equity, education, health, loan forgiveness, and mental health.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.
- PolicyArchive PolicyArchive is an innovative, new digital archive of global, non-partisan public policy research. It makes use of the power, efficiency, and economy of modern Internet technology to collect and disseminate summaries and full texts, videos, reports, briefs, and multimedia material of think tanks, universities, government, and foundation-funded policy research.
- Urban Institute "Non-partisan economic and social policy research" on urban issues including crime, economy, education, health care, housing, welfare, and work.
- Brooking Institute One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and global economy and development.
- Center for the Study of Social Policy The Center's work is concentrated in the areas of family and children's services; income supports, neighborhood-based services, education reform, family support, disability, and health care policy, and long-term care for the elderly. Includes publications archive.
- Center for Law and Social Policy Includes global social policy, state-by-state policy data, child welfare, prisoner re-entry and other welfare policy matters. Includes many publications.
Public Opinion Resources
- Roper Center This link opens in a new window Comprehensive collection of social sciences data sets and public opinion poll data with results. Coverage 1930 - present.
- PollingReport.com An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion
- Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. We conduct public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research. We do not take policy positions.
Data Sources
- National Journal: Presentation Center This link opens in a new window Collecttion of customizable PowerPoint slides to educate yourself, stakeholders, and PACs on complex issues and how policy impacts US politics. Coverage: 2013 - present.
- Sage Data This link opens in a new window Collection of US and international statistics Statistical Datasets. Allows users to compare and contrast variables of interest, and create customized views in tables, maps, rankings, and charts. Also includes descriptive summaries of the datasets and data sources. Coverage: 1789 - present.
- Meltwater This link opens in a new window Social media monitoring and engagement software. Search by keyword through Tweets, Reddit, Instagram and Facebook posts to create instant dashboards and follow trending issues over time. Limited to 4 concurrent users. Create an account for access using your Loyola ID.
- Statista This link opens in a new window Statistics, reports, infographics, and surveys on business, media, finance, politics and a wide variety of topics. Includes industry and consumer reports, market outlooks, and country reports. Coverage: focus is on current (not historical) statistics.
- SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window A mapping application that creates thematic maps and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data. To access, first create a personal workspace.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new window Digitized maps and census data related to demographic information in the U.S. Coverage: 1790 - 2000. Limited to three simultaneous users.
- The World Bank's Open Data initiative The World Bank's Open Data initiative is intended to provide all users with access to World Bank data, according to the Open Data Terms of Use. The data catalog is a listing of available World Bank datasets, including databases, pre-formatted tables, reports, and other resourcesThe primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates.
Journals
- Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (ASAP) is an outlet for psychological and social science scholarship with implications for social action and policy. Under the guidance of an international editorial board, ASAP serves a global audience that includes policy makers and advocates as well as social scientists, students, and the public at large.
- Public Policy & Research The permafrost of no alternatives has cracked; the horizon of political possibilities is expanding. IPPR Progressive Review is a pluralistic space to debate where next for progressives, examine the opportunities and challenges confronting us and ask the big questions facing our politics: transforming a failed economic model, renewing a frayed social contract, building a new relationship with Europe. Publishing the best writing in economics, politics and culture, IPPR Progressive Review explores how we can best build a more equal, humane and prosperous society.
Law Infographic
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For more information about government information:
Beginner's Guide to Federal Statutes
- govinfo (US government publications) govinfo provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
- govinfo Tutorials This tutorial series offers users introductory guidance in navigating GPO’s govinfo, performing various types of searches, narrowing search results, browsing, and Help features.
- USA.gov (Government websites) USA.gov is a portal to US government -wide (at all levels) web pages. It is an interagency product administered by USAGov (formerly the Federal Citizen Information Center), a division of the U.S. General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Service.