A. General Public Policy 
1. 
Encyclopedia
of Policy Studies. Ref. H 97 .E6 1994
A handbook to the field, arrangement of the chapters is topical within two
sections: "General Approaches to Policy Studies" and "Specific Policy Problems." Each
chapter surveys the literature and thought on the topic and includes a bibliography.
Chapters on specific policy problems describe the nature of relevant public
policies, discuss why certain policies have been adopted, and evaluate possible
policy approaches.
2. International
Encyclopedia of Public Policy and Administration. Ref. H 97
.I574 1998
Articles on the core concepts, terms, phrases, and processes of public policy
and administration. Each article in the four-volume set includes a bibliography.
The comprehensive index is in volume four.
B. Government
3. Congressional
Digest. LAU Periodical Stacks
Monthly publication devoted to current issues before Congress including background
information, recent legislation, and pro and con arguments from Congressional
debates and testimony from committees.
4. Congressional
Quarterly Almanac. 1960- . Ref. JK 1 .C66
Annual overview of legislation considered by Congress including summaries of
key arguments. Important Supreme Court actions and Presidential vetoes are
also discussed. Volumes for 1945 - 1959 are on the fourth floor.
5. CQ
Guide to Current American Government. Ref. JK 1 .C14
A compendium of articles on current topics in government including recent issues
before Congress, actions of the President, and decisions of the Supreme Court.
Published twice-yearly, the latest issue is in Reference, earlier years in
the stacks.
C. Think Tanks and Organizations
6. 
Associations
Unlimited.
Contains 450,000 detailed listings for organizations all over the world. Also
available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
7. 
NIRA
World Directory of Think Tanks. <http://www.nira.go.jp/ice/nwdtt/index.html> Print
version: Ref. H96.N57
Directory of 320 public policy research institutes in 77 countries. Includes
a brief description of each institute and, when available, a link to the organization's
website. Compiled by the National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA)
in Tokyo.
Books dealing with public policy issues are listed by subject (as well as title
and author) in GEORGE, the computer
catalog. To search by subject in GEORGE, use the Library of Congress Subject
Headings (LCSH), the red volumes shelved in the dictionary stand near the Reference
Desk of Lauinger Library, to find correct terms. Or look up a title you know
and click on one of the subject headings listed in the entry. Examples of subject
headings are:
Abortion - Law and legislation
Health care rationing
Public welfare
Environmental policy
AIDS (Disease) - Government policy
- United States
You will probably want to search under several headings. If you aren't
finding what you want, try searching by keywords. Keywords allow you
to search words that appear in titles or subject headings and are especially
helpful for finding new terms or concepts. If you need help with GEORGE
or searching by topic, speak to a Reference Librarian.
Bibliographies can be located in GEORGE by using the subheading - Bibliography
under headings for public policy topics. For example:
Drug Abuse - Bibliography
Euthanasia - Bibliography
| IV. Finding Articles and Reports |
A. General Public Policy
8. P.A.I.S.
One of the best sources for information on politics and international affairs.
Indexes not only journals but books and government documents since 1972.
For earlier years, use the printed version (Ref. Z7163 .P9). Also available
from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
9. Social
Sciences Index.
Indexes the major scholarly journals in the social sciences including public
policy, since 1983. For earlier years, use the printed version (Ref. AI3 .R471).
Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
B. Public Policy Issues
10. ABI-INFORM
Complete.
Provides abstracts and many full-text articles from over 2,800 business and
management journals, including hundreds of titles from outside the U.S. Also
available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
11. EconLit.
Indexes and abstracts worldwide economic literature. Has article citations
from over 400 major economic journals since 1972. Includes indexing of some
book reviews, dissertations and working papers. Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
C. General News Sources
12. Lexis/Nexis
Academic.
Provides access to the full-text of thousands of news, legal, and business
publications. Includes newspapers, magazines, journals, and broadcast transcripts.
Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
13. Proquest
Research Library.
Provides indexing, abstracting, and many full-text entries for over 2,800 scholarly
and general interest periodicals. Covers a very broad range of topics and sources,
including most public policy issues. Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
D. Reports
14. PolicyFile.
Indexes otherwise hard to obtain research and publications from public policy
think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and publishers.
Each item includes an abstract and, where available, access to the full-text
of the report and/or the homepages and electronic mail addresses of the authoring
institution.
Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
| V. U.S. Government Documents |
Publications of U.S. government departments and agencies, as well as Congress,
are kept in Government Documents and Microforms on the first
floor. These materials are listed in GEORGE.
Indexes by subject and agency are available in Government
Documents.
15. FirstGov.gov. <http://www.firstgov.gov>
The official homepage of the U.S. federal government. Includes links to all
three branches of the federal government, as well as links to state and local
governments. Links are organized by agency, topic and target audience.
16. Lexis
Nexis Congressional.
Provides full-text of the complete range of legislative and public policy resources.
Includes Congressional hearings and reports, bills, public laws, the Congressional
Record, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, floor votes,
Congressional member financial information, the U.S. code, and legislative
histories for any law enacted since 1970. Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
17. MarciveWeb
- U.S. Government Documents.
Indexes publications issued by the U.S. Government Printing Office since 1976.
Can be searched by author, title, subject, and keyword. Also available
from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor
18. FactSearch.
Contains facts and statistics about current social, economic, environmental,
and political issues from newspapers, periodicals, and congressional documents.
Each record consists of an item citation, an abstract, and a link to the Web
document if available. Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
19. ICPSR
Data Collections. <http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/>
Provides access to computerized social science data collected by the Inter-University
Consortium for Political and Social Research, a membership-based, not-for-profit
organization serving member colleges and universities in the United States
and abroad.
20. LexisNexis
Statistical.
An index to statistical publications including those of U.S. federal government
agencies since 1990. For 1974-1989 use the printed version: American Statistics
Index (ASI) in Government Documents. All publications indexed 1985 to the present
are available in microfiche in Government Documents. Paper copies of many of
the documents indexed from 1974 on are also available. Ask at Government Documents
Desk. Also
available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
21. Polling
the Nations.
Compilation of questions and responses from more than 12,000 national, state,
local and special surveys. Includes polling from within the US and abroad.
Also available from http://www.library.georgetown.edu/advisor/
22. Statistical
Abstract of the United States. <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/> Print
version: Ref. Desk HA 202
Comprehensive compilation of industrial, political, and economic statistics
for the U.S. For more detailed statistics use #20 above.
23. Government
Performance Project. <http://results.gpponline.org/>
"A non-partisan, independent
research program, the Government Performance Project evaluates how
well state
governments
perform their
basic management
functions and explores how this research can be used by states to serve
citizens better."
24. Political
Information Site. <http://www.politicalinformation.com/>
Search engine dedicated to politics and public policy. Includes section on
the day's latest news.
25. Public
Agenda Online. <http://www.publicagenda.org/> Contains
a synthesis of facts, statistics, news, and survey data on abortion,
crime, the environment, foreign policy, illegal drugs, and other major
public policy issues.
Please
send us your comments or suggestions
Content updated: 12/07
jc
Links updated: 12/07
jc
I.
Background Sources