Political Science
Associate Professor C Woodward Kaupert

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Table of Contents

Public Policy Think Tanks
Interest Group/Quasi-Think Tank
Political Parties
Other sources of Interest
Peer Reviewed Journals
Government Sites
Media

 

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Policy Think Tanks 

This is not an exhaustive list, but these are some good ones!

• American Enterprise Institute Conservative economic and foreign policy think tank

• American Foreign Policy Council  Issue briefs and articles since 1995, primarily on U.S. relations with Russia and China

• Baker Institute of Public Policy Sponsored by Rice University in honor of James A. Baker.  Speeches and executive summaries on foreign and domestic policy issues

• Brookings Institution A FAVORITE
  Private, non-profit, independent institute analyzing U.S. government policy and international relations.  Summaries of position papers on "hot topics" and selected Congressional testimony. Table of contents for the Brookings Review and selected articles

• Bureau of Governmental Research Non-profit research institute analyzing public administration in New Orleans but affecting all metropolitan areas. Bibliography of publications and links to university public policy institutes.

• Carter Center Center founded by Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter to counter world hunger, disease, poverty, conflict, and oppression.   News and annual reports on projects.  Searchable by keyword

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace   Reports and working papers, primarily on US-Russian relations and nuclear non-proliferation. Economic development and democratization efforts around the world

• Cato Institute A FAVORITE
  Philosophy of limited government, free market, and individual liberty. "Hot Topics" has the text of Cato Institute position papers, arranged by subject and searchable by keyword. Congressional testimony by institute representatives.

• Center for Budget and Policy Priorities   A FAVORITE
  Non-partisan think tank focused on policy issues affecting lower and moderate-income citizens.  Extensive, full text analyses on such subjects as welfare reform, medicaid, food stamps, and block grants.  Includes search engine.

• Center for Defense Information   Arms Trade Data Base provides the text of news articles on arms trade, arranged by country.  Weekly Defense Monitor includes position papers. U.S. military spending clock.

• Center for International Governance    Articles and position pages on international issues, such as UN Reform, safe drinking water, environment

• Center for Strategic and International Studies    A FAVORITE
  Papers on Russian, Asian, and Middle East relations.  National and international employment and social issues. Catalog of publications

• Center for Media and Public Affairs A FAVORITE 
  Nonpartisan research organization on the news media.  Its Newswatch is a daily magazine that analyzes the accuracy of daily news from media critics.  The full text is searchable.

• Center for Public Integrity Non-partisan organization promoting ethics in government. 50 States Project rates states on public disclosure laws.  Research reports on financing presidential and Congressional elections

• Center for Responsive Politics A FAVORITE
  Non-partisan research group monitoring campaign reform. Congressional campaign finance filings.  Open Secrets Lobby group campaign contributions to Members of Congress arranged by industry and separately by member.  Web version in Adobe Acrobat format corresponds to paper version in Documents Center (JK 1991 .M261)

• Commonwealth Institute Progressive think tank on defense and economic issues.  Numerous on-line analyses of U.S. defense posture, the Quadrennial Defense Review (federal government), and capitalism

• Council for Livable World  Founded in 1962 by eminent nuclear physicist Leo Szilard, provides senators with sophisticated technical and scientific information that helps them make intelligent decisions about nuclear arms control, strategic and conventional weapons, the military budget and United Nations peacekeeping.

• Economic Policy Institute  Nonprofit, non-partisan think tank on U.S. economics.  Press releases and executive summaries of working papers on such subjects as school funding, living standards, and the budget.   Links to government economic data including archived material.

• Employment Policies Institute Research on entry level jobs and the minimum wage.  Includes press releases and research reports, including youth and welfare employment.

• European Policy Institutes Network   Association of 40 member think tanks in 28 European countries.  Web site has working papers on various aspects of the European Union and on individual country positions about the EU.

• Family Research Council  A Judeo-Christian organization, founded by evangelical minister James Dobson to influence and shape public policy.

• Foreign Policy Association  Membership organization geared toward debate and education on foreign policy. Briefing papers on foreign policy issues from its own sources and those of other think tanks.

• Free Market Net   Libertarian think tank.  Current news and links to opinion pieces on libertarian issues.

• Heritage Foundation   Conservative think tank dedicated to limited government, individual freedom, a free market, and strong defense.  Text of public policy papers on various topics, including crime, education, foreign policy, health care, and trade.  Index of Economic Freedom for countries in the world.  Extensive list of conservative think tanks.  Numerous statistics in support of its positions.

• Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace Description of programs, research, and archival holdings.  Text of press releases

• Hudson Institute Conservative think tank on domestic and international policy issues.  Summaries of its briefings and current periodicals

• Interhemispheric Resource Center    Promotes internationalism in U.S. foreign policy and U.S.-Mexico relations.   Numerous periodicals and issue briefs.

• International Center for Economic Growth   Non-profit think tank on international economics. Full text of newsletter articles since 1998.  Catalog of publications.

• John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs   Conservative think tank focused on constitutional, educational, and economic issues.  Full text of current editorials, current issue of On Principle and Right from the Center Catalog of publications.

• Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies    Non-profit organization providing public policy information on issues affecting black Americans.  Summaries of selected papers include public opinion polls on such topics as race relations, children, black participation in the Republican Party. Full text of annual report.

• Kennedy School of Government   A FAVORITE
  Working papers of the Political Research Group.  Includes the abstract, full text, and information about the author.

• Max Planck Society:   A FAVORITE
  A consortium of 80 institutes, research units, and working groups that are devoted to a wide range of especially promising research areas. Each institute has a special statutory task be it to research the structure of matter, the function of our nervous system, or the birth and development of stars and galaxies. Max Planck Institutes work largely in an interdisciplinary setting and in close cooperation with universities and research institutes in Germany and abroad to generate cutting-edge knowledge and technological breakthroughs and to produce highly qualified, internationally competitive junior scientists and researchers.

• Morrison Institute for Public Policy (Arizona State University)
  Research projects on state and local governance with emphasis on Arizona. Economics, education, environment, government, effect of tax cuts. Full text of Arizona Policy Choices and selected other publications available online.

• National Bureau of Economic Research
  Full text of working papers in Adobe Acrobat format since 1973.  Description of economic, labor, and health research. Several historical on-line economic data bases and a description of historic U.S. business cycles.

• National Center for Economic and Security Alternatives  
  Models, bibliographies and case studies.  Focus on community development; forthcoming guides on non-profit institutions and security affairs.  Annotated web links in all three areas.

• National Center for Policy Analysis   A FAVORITE
  Non-profit, non-partisan public policy think tank.  Pro and con issue papers on health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, education, and environment. Background papers on high school debate topics supplemented by statistics. Includes text of relevant bills and opinions of other think tanks.

• National Priorities Project
  Lobby group on federal budget priorities.  Data on previous budgets and the impact of current budget proposals on state and local areas. Subjects include jobs, education, hunger, health care, taxes, and children.

• Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government 
  Public policy institute focusing on the role of state governments.  Issue papers, grants, and on-going projects.

• Pew Internet and American Life Project 
  Produces reports that explore the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. The Project aims to be an authoritative source on the evolution of the Internet through collection of data and analysis of real-world developments as they affect the virtual world

• Pew Research Center for The People and The Press
  An independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. This center is best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for polling that chart trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes.

• Pioneer Institute
  Public policy think tank for Massachusetts issues.  Includes policy briefs and white papers.  Focus on charter schools, deregulation and contracting.

• Progressive Policy Institute  
  Think tank sponsored by the Democratic Leadership Council.  Numerous papers and briefs on domestic and international issues.

• Public Agenda
  Nonpartisan, issue-oriented think tank. Presents eighteen issues, including abortion, crime, gambling, immigration, internet privacy, social security, and welfare.  For each issue provides background, links to lobby groups, a digest of news stories, basic statistics, and a variety of state laws.  Numerous public opinion polls

• Rand Corporation   A FAVORITE
  Non-profit research organization.  "Research Areas" includes a subject bibliography of RAND publications since 1985 with abstracts of the reports and articles in the RAND Research Review since 1994.  "Hot Topics" has the full-text of current policy papers

• Resources for the Future
  Research projects on the environment, natural resources, weapons cleanup.  Includes the full text of completed reports

• Russell Sage Foundation
  Liberal think tank focused on research in the social sciences. 

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute  
  Promotes international disarmament.  Summaries of the SIPRI Yearbook, beginning 1993, cover major armed conflicts, military spending, and disarmament developments.  Describes SIPRI research areas, such as its Chemical and Biological Disarmament program

• Twentieth Century Fund
  Progressive think tank.   Position papers on economics, government, foreign policy, and health care.

• United States Institute of Peace
  Promotes the resolution of international conflict without violence.  Describes the organization's work, internships and grants.  Bibliography of free printed publications

• Urban Institute   A FAVORITE
  Non-profit policy research organization on U.S. social and economic problems.  Hot Topics includes position papers and testimony on such subjects as block grants, civil rights, education, health, medicare, and taxes

 

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Political Parties  

National Party Websites with links to affiliates in Texas where applicable

• Airenson Socialist Party

• All-African People's Revolutionary Party

• America First Party 

• America Founding Fathers Party

• American Party

• American Beer Drinker's Party

• American Fascist Party - (Alternate Site),

• American Nationalist Union

• American Nazi Party

• American Patriot Party    

• American Reform Party - A splinter group of the Reform Party Texas

• American Synthesis Party

• Autonomy Party

• Birthday Party

• Cascadian National Party

• Centrist Party

• Christian Falangist Party of America

• Common Good Party

• Common Sense Party - (Alternate Site),

• Commonwealth Party

• Communist Party USA, Texas

• Committee for a Unified Independent Party

• Conservative and Populist Party

• Constitution Party 

• Constitutionalist Party

• Cool American Party

• Corrective Action Party

• Creator's Right Party

• Democratic Party   Texas

• Democratic Patriotism Party

• Democratic Socialists Party

• Diamond Party Voters League

• Expansionist Party - 

• Feline Party

• Freedom Party

• Fusion Party

• Gibublican Party

• Global Justice Party

• Greens / Green Party

• Guilty Party

• Heart Political Party

• Idealistic Party of People

• Independent Party of America

• Industrial Workers of the World Party

• Internet Party

• Jefferson Party

• Jeffersonian Party

• Knights Party,

• Labor Party  

• League for the Revolutionary Party

• Left Party

• Legal Party

• Liberal Progress Party

• Libertarian Party 

• Libertarian National Socialist Green Party

• Light Party

• Marijuana Party

• Pot Party

  U.S. Marijuana Party

• Monster Raving Looney Party 

• Multicapitalist Party

• National Alliance

• National Barking Spider Resurgence Party 

• National Socialist Movement

• National Union Party,

• Native American Party

• Natural Law Party

• Nazi Parties

  • American Nazi Party,

  • National Alliance,

  • National Socialist Movement,

  • National Vanguard

  • Nationalist Workers Party,

• Neo Whig Party

• Netocratic Party

• New Party

• New American Independent Party

• New Black Panther Party

• New Federalist Party

• National Nihilist Party

• Pacifist Party

• Pansexual Peace Party

• Partido Nacional de la Raza Unida - United People Party  

• The Party Party

• Peace Party

• People's Party - (Alternate Site),

• Planetary Engineering Party

• Populist Party - (Alternative Site)

• Progressive Alternative Party

• Progressive Labor Party

• Progressive Pro-Action Party

• Prohibition Party - Alternate site

• Radical Party

• Reform Party

• Reformed Conservative Party

• Reformed Fascist Party

• Republican Party

• Revolution Party

• Revolutionary Communist Party,

• Romantic Transcendentalist Party

• Royalist Party

• Scorched Earth Party

• Social Democratic Party

• Social Nationalist Party

• Socialist Party USA Texas

• Socialist Action

• Socialist Equality Party 

• Socialist Labor Party Texas

• Socialist Workers Party

• Solipsist Party

• Southern Parties Texas

• Spirit of America Party

• Statesmanship Party

• Thermodynamics Law Party

• Third Party

• Truth and Action Party

• Unification Party

• United Fascist Union

• Unity Party

• USAbility Party

• Veterans Party   Texas

• We The People Party

• Whig Party

• Workers Party

• Workers Socialist Party

• Workers World Party    Texas

• World Political Party

• World Socialist Party

• Party X

• Party Y

• Comprehensive Index (National Political Index)

 

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Platforms

• National Party Platforms (American Presidency Project)

  • Party platforms since 1840 for all parties receiving electoral votes

• Republican

  • Current Agendas

    • Texas Republican Platform 2006

    • Republican Platform 2004 (GOP Convention)

    • Republican Platform 2000

    • House Republican Conference

    • Speaker of the House

    • Senate Republican Policy Committee

  • Contract with America

    • Ten policy changes the Republican candidates for the 104th Congress House of Representatives brought to the table

    • Includes bill text and description

    • Signatories in 1994

• Democratic

  • Texas Democratic Party Platform 2006

  • Democratic Platform 2004

  • Democratic Platform 2000

  • 1998 Democratic Agenda

  • Current Agenda

    • House Democratic Leadership

    • Senate Democratic Policy Committee

• Green Party USA

• Libertarian Party Platform 2004

• Reform Party

 

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Interest Group/Quasi-Think Tanks  
Again, not exhaustive but pretty darn close.  BE CAREFUL HERE.  NOT ALL OF THESE ARE INTEREST GROUPS BY THE STRICT DEFINITION.  THEY MAY BE 501(c)(3) tax-exempt,   organizations that do not lobby (in other words, they do NOT have PACs associated directly under their organizations). Some groups DO have 501(c)(3) status, BUT, establish separate PACs outside of their organization for the SOLE purpose of political lobbying.   Focus on the Family is an example of one such organization that has done this by establishing their PAC "Family Research Council" that purports itself to be a 'think-tank' of the caliber of Brookings or Cato.  Be careful when you are looking at these and be sure to look at the 'More about 'us' or about ______' page on their links to learn more.

• State Public Interest Research Groups  
  Public Interest Research Groups are a network of independent, state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest.

• AFL-CIO

• Alliance for Justice

• American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)

• American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA)

• American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD)

• American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

• American Association of University Women (AAUW)

• American Bankers Association (ABA)

• American Bar Association

• American Civil Liberties Union

• American Chemical Society

• American Conservative Union

• American Farm Bureau Federation

• American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

• American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

• American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA)

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee

• American Legion

• American Petroleum Institute

• American Postal Workers Union (APWU)

• American Public Welfare Association (APWA)

• American Association of Baby Boomers

• Americans for Democratic Action

• Amnesty International

• Animal Rights Coalition

• Annie E Casey Foundation  A FAVORITE

• Catholics United for Life

• Center for Democracy and Technology

• Center for Public Integrity   A FAVORITE

• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)   A FAVORITE

• Children's Defense Fund   A FAVORITE

• Child Labor Coalition

• Child Welfare League of America

• Christian Coalition

• Citizens Against Government Waste

• Citizens for Budget Reform (CBR)

• Citizens for Tax Justice

• Communications Workers of America (CWA)

• ConflictNet

• Concord Coalition

• Congressional Accountability Project

• Council for Responsible Genetics

• Death Penalty Information Center   A FAVORITE

• EcoNet

• Electronic Frontier Foundation

• EMILY's List

• Empower America

• Environmental Defense Fund

• Family Farm Alliance

• Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

• Feminist Majority Foundation Online

• Friends of the Earth

• Fund for Constitutional Government

• Government Purchasing Project

• GreenNet (environmental)

• Greenpeace International

• Habitat for Humanity

• International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

• International Brotherhood of Teamsters

• International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers

• LaborNet

• League of Conservation Voters

• League of Women Voters' Voter Education Project   A FAVORITE

• Media Matters  A FAVORITE

• Moral Majority

• National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL)

• National Air Traffic Controllers Association

• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

• National Association of Arab Americans 

• National Association of Broadcasters

• National Association of Community Action Agencies

• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)

• National Coalition for the Homeless

• National Education Association (NEA)

• National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition

• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

• National Organization for Women (NOW)

• National Recycling Coalition

• National Resources Defense Council

• National Right to Life

• National Rifle Association

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

• National Water Resources Association

• Office & Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU)

• PeaceNet

• People For the American Way

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

• Physicians for a National Health Program

• Planned Parenthood

• Public Citizen

• Public Interest Research Groups

• Service Employees International Union

• Sheet Metal Workers International Association

• Sierra Club

• Society for Electronic Access (SEA)

• Society for Human Resource Management

• Taxpayers Against Fraud

• Teledemocracy Action News + Network

• United Autoworkers Workers (UAW)

• United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)

• United Mine Workers of America (UMW)

• United States Space Foundation

• Vietnam Veterans of America

• WomensNet

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Other sources of Interest

• Congressional Research Service Reports
  Free search service for all Congressional Research Service reports that have been posted on the web. The CRS is the public policy research arm of the U.S. Congress and is known for non-partisan, in-depth analysis of public policy issues. CRS does not publish its reports, but many of them have been made available by government agencies and members of Congress.

• CQ Researcher
  [Congressional Quarterly, Inc.] Covers the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, insight into all sides of the issues, bibliographies and more. Users may browse through articles in the current issue or search for past articles using words, dates or other criteria.

• CQ Weekly
  [Congressional Quarterly, Inc.] Nonpartisan news and analysis of legislative issues in plain English covering virtually every act of the U.S. Congress including floor votes from 1983 to the present day. Searchable by topic, exact phrase, bill number, date, and Boolean full-text.

• Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
  [GaleGroup] Covers controversial topics. Includes background information and pro and con essays published in the following series: Opposing Viewpoints, Information Plus, At Issue, Contemporary Issues Companion, Current Controversies, Opposing Viewpoints Digests, and Teen Decisions. Resources may also include: text from a limited selection of reference books, magazine and newspaper articles, statistics, images, primary documents, and web sites on the topics. Study tools and guidelines include tips on judging information; using the essays; citing resources; and organizing, writing, developing and presenting reports and oral presentations.

 

 

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• Peer Reviewed Journals

  SAC database (must log in with student ID)

  • American Political Science Review (APSR) Online: Peer reviewed journal (the big one for Political Science in general)

  • Review of Policy Research: Coverage of substantive issues related to policy formation, implementation and evaluation, and theoretical pieces on controversies in the study of policy.

  • Policy Studies Review:  Research and technical reports theoretical and applied policy science.

  • Public Policy Research: Peer reviewed coverage of key developments in public policy. The "left-leaning" journal of the Institute for Public Policy Research. Primary focus on UK, covers the EU and the USA as well.

  • Economic Policy Review:   Focus on articles and research in the area of economic policy.

  • Policy & Practices of Public Human Services: Articles on every aspect of welfare, the human services, and related fields that examine national social policy issues, illuminate social work theory and social legislation.

  • AIDS and Public Policy Journal:   Articles about the social, political, ethical, and legal issues arising in public health and health policy as they relate to AIDS.

  • Analyses of Social Issues & Public Policy:  Offers information on a variety of social problems.

  • Criminal Justice Policy Review:   Focuses on the study of criminal justice policy through experimental and non-experimental approaches.

  • Critical Social Policy: Presents advocacy, analysis and debate on social policy issues from socialist, feminist, anti-racist and radical perspectives.

  • Education Policy: Interdisciplinary journal of analysis and research on educational policy and practice at the local, national, and international levels.

  • Environmental Economics & Policy Studies: Provides an international forum for debates among diverse disciplines such as environmental economics, environmental policy studies & related fields.

  • Forum for Applied Research & Public Policy:  Ceased. Articles, commentary, and book reviews to further public understanding and aid public policy in the fields of energy, science and technology, environment, and economic development.

  • Global Social Policy:   Analyzes the contribution of a range of international actors to global social policy and social development discourse and practice.

  • Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy: Articles, review articles and commentary on various aspects of the legal system and public policy. Recent decision; Historical overviews; Litigation analysis.

  • Journal of Aging & Social Policy: Forum for the analysis, argument, research and advocacy of social policy as it affects the aging population.

  • Journal of Disability Policy Studies: Covers topics on disability policy from the perspectives of a variety of academic disciplines

  • Journal of Health & Social Policy:  Articles on health, social policy issues, policy formation and implementation aimed at professionals in the health care and social work fields.

The list goes on, just type policy into the search engine and almost 200 journals are available.

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Government Sites

• US Government Portal

• Texas Government Portal

• Bexar County Portal

• San Antonio Portal

 

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Media

Of course you can log into the Library site and access news and journal articles from the Academic Universe but here are some direct links

• All Politics (Time/CNN/CQ)

  • Daily news coverage of U.S. politics

  • Issues matrix includes Time/CNN public opinion polls

  • Archived coverage of elections since 1996 includes primary/caucus calendars, exit polls, and results

• Blue Eagle Columnists

  • Links to commentaries from 325 political columnists and political cartoons

• Cable News Network (CNN)

  • News stories on current political issues, often with the full-text of relevant documents

  • Recent material and election coverage archived in subject groups

  • Summaries or full text of recent CNN political programs

• Capitol Watch On-Line

  • Daily stories on U.S. politics

  • Links to major political magazines, news magazines and newspapers

• Christian Science Monitor

  • Daily newspaper with the full text of lead articles (U.S., international, cultural, crossword)

  • Archive back to 1980 searchable by subject

• Newslink

  • Lists online newspapers by state and foreign country

  • Includes foreign language papers

• Opinion Pages

  • Full text of opinion and news commentary from around the world

  • Separate sections for politics, business, technology, sports, health, and arts

  • Searchable by keyword or browsable by geography

• Roll Call

  • Several articles on todays Congressional news; archive only by subscription

  • Extensive policy briefings on a current topic (e.g. appropriations) changed every few weeks

• Washington Post Politics

  • News and analysis of national and state politics

  • Special reports on hot topics

  • Campaign calendars, candidate assessments

  • Public opinion polls