Research Guides: Politics: Finding Databases & Public Policy Resources

Academic Databases

PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Covers issues in the public debate through a wide variety of international sources including journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more. Includes PAIS International and PAIS Archive.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive, multidisciplinary abstract and citation database including scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Social Science Citation Index - Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Social Sciences Citation Index is a multidisciplinary index to the journal literature of the social sciences. It fully covers journals across 58 social sciences disciplines and includes all cited references captured from indexed articles. Publication years: 1900 to present
Annual Review of Political Science This link opens in a new window
Covers significant developments in the field of Political Science including political theory and philosophy, international relations, political economy, political behavior, American and comparative politics, public administration and policy, and methodology.

Avalon Project
A project of Yale's Law School that documents the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government.

Cambridge Journals Online This link opens in a new window
Access online journals published by Cambridge University Press. Articles are available in PDF, with many also available in full-text HTML.
Diversity Collection This link opens in a new window
Combines GenderWatch, Ethnic NewsWatch and AltPressWatch into one platform focusing on ethnic, minority, and native presses, grassroots newspapers and magazines, and journals.
Exploring Race in Society This link opens in a new window
Offers an in-depth look at the history of race through essays, articles, reports, and other reliable sources while providing critical context for learning more about topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity, and inclusiveness.
HeinOnline Academic This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary content in more than 100 subject areas, including history, political science, criminal justice, religious studies, international relations, women’s studies, pre-law, and many more.
Left Index This link opens in a new window
Index to "literature on the left. With a primary emphasis on politically and culturally engaged scholarship inside and outside the academy."
Military & Government Collection This link opens in a new window
Designed to offer current news pertaining to all branches of the military and government, this database offers a collection of periodicals, academic journals, and other content pertinent to the increasing needs of those sites. From EBSCO.
Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window
Information on social issues including articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, interactive maps, videos, and streaming audio.

Political Science Network
Open access preprint server for political science

ProQuest Politics This link opens in a new window
This collection provides access to databases (including PAIS and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts) covering the international literature in political science and public administration/policy, along with related fields.
SocArXiv This link opens in a new window
Open archive of working papers, preprints, and published papers in the social sciences.

Public Policy Research

The American Enterprise Institute
AEI is a community of scholars and supporters committed to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity and strengthening free enterprise.
The Brookings Institute
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. with a mission to conduct in-depth, nonpartisan research to improve policy and governance at local, national, and global levels.
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan educational institute dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action.
Center for Economic Policy Research
CEPR is Europe’s leading network of Economic Policy Researchers.
Center for the Study of Social Policy
Policy research on children and families. 1979-Current.

CLASP Center for Law and Social Policy - Data This link opens in a new window
CLASP conducts analysis of national, state, and local data to accurately document racial disparities and disparate policy impacts by race to inform our policy recommendations and advocacy.
Global Think Tanks This link opens in a new window
Database for public policy, covering reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media drawn from a directory of IGOs, NGOs, and research centers. Part of Policy Commons

Institute for Research on Poverty
IRP researches the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in the United States. We bring together social scientists from across research disciplines such as economics, sociology, social work, and demography. The result is a well-rounded understanding of poverty issues.
Measure of America-SSRC Project
Measure of America provides easy-to-use yet methodologically sound tools for understanding the distribution of well-being and opportunity in America and stimulating fact-based dialogue about issues we all care about: health, education, and living standards.
Neighborhood Data for Social Change
A project of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, NDSC is a free, publicly available online resource for civic actors to learn about the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing Los Angeles County neighborhoods through maps, charts, data analysis, and storytelling.

North American City Reports This link opens in a new window
Over 1.5 million pages of in-depth surveys, reports, and research from more than six hundred North American cities and urban agencies. Part of Policy Commons.
Pew Research Center This link opens in a new window
A nonpartisan fact tank that publishes public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis, and other data-driven social science research.
Policy Commons This link opens in a new window
Over 12 million working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media from more than 35,000 municipalities, IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, and research centers.
Public Health & Social Care This link opens in a new window
Research, pilot projects, case studies, newsletters and collaborative proejct from global frontline health providers, hospital systems, foundations, patient groups, practitioner communities, governments and think tanks. Part of Policy Commons.

RAND Corporation
Research reports on Children and Families, Education and the Arts, Energy and Environment, Health Care, Infrastructure and Transportation, International Affairs, Law and Business, National Security, Public Safety, Science and Technology.
Southern Poverty Law Center
A nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.
Urban Institute
"At Urban, we believe that data and evidence are essential to shaping a more inclusive, equitable, and just society."

World Cities This link opens in a new window
Over 1.4 million rare and hard-to-find research reports from more than 1,000 of the world’s major cities. Part of Policy Commons.
World Governments This link opens in a new window
Source for national, provincial, and state government publications, including coverage of the UK, Ireland, Canada, US Federal agencies, and Oceania, plus additional 700 national, state, and regional governments and agencies from more than 180 countries. Part of Policy Commons.