Data and Statistics
US Data
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Pew ResearchNonpartisan 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.
International Data
Roz Tedford: Politics and Int'l Affairs Liaison
Public Policy Overview Sites
Library Resources Available On-Campus Only
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CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowContains reports and analysis on issues in the news including health, social trends and issues, criminal justice, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Great resource for background information on current news, hot topics, and social issues. Coverage back to 1923. Coverage: 1991-
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SIRS Issue Researcher This link opens in a new windowProvides background and current analysis necessary for research and understanding of hundreds of current issues. Analysis and opinions cover the pros, cons, and everything in between on the most researched and debated social issues. Coverage: Details not available
Free Resources
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Pew ResearchA nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world
Government Agency Information
The US Government does analysis of existing and proposed policies. Below are links to ways to search across all government information and also links to specific executive branch departments.
Government Policy Offices
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Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS)The Congressional Research Service is the research office for the US Congress. They research issues for congressional offices and committees, and do budget and policy evaluations of legislation before and after implementation.
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GAO ReportsThe U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) looks into how the US spends taxpayer dollars. Their reports can give great insight into how certain issues are being addressed through government resources.
Government Agency Sites
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A-Z Index of US Federal Departments and AgenciesOften the best place to get primary source material from the US Government Agencies is from their web sites.
State Resources
Public Policy Think Tanks
The Harvard Kennedy School keeps a list of US and Non-US Think Tanks and provides a custom Google search across them all. This is a great place to go to find Think Tank content.
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Think Tank Custom SearchA Google Custom Search of more than 1200 think tanks and research centers.
General Think Tanks
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Pew ResearchNonpartisan 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.
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Rand CorporationRand performs policy analysis with teams of researchers on a wide variety of policy issues both domestic and international. Use the Research tab at the top of the page to see their areas of concentration. They are non-partisan and non-profit.