Research Guides: POLS 315: Public Policy Analysis (HC): Background

Gathering Background Information

The following sources summarize political and legislative activities and provide a good overview of the national policy debate on specific issues. They provide an excellent resource for quickly and easily identifying relevant legislation, key players, terminology, and points of view and providing a brief summary of the historical context of the current debate on a policy issue.

When using these publications, make note of the titles and numbers of bills and public laws mentioned. To find how to obtain the related congressional reports, hearings, and other materials, see Finding Congressional Materials below.

Congress and the nation
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Volumes cover one 4-year presidential term. Divided into chapters on various policy issues, e.g. economic policy, education policy, health & human services, etc. Each chapter opens with an introductory overview, followed by a chronology of legislative actions.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
The Congressional Research Service prepares policy reports for Congress on all issues under consideration for legislation. These reports are not all released to the public. Individual legislators may post pertinent reports online. The link above lists web sites which have collections of digitized reports. Stanford, North Texas and Every CRS Report are likely to prove the most useful for your research because of currency or size.
IBM Center for the Business of Government
This center is concerned with bringing public management research into all levels of government operations. The site provides reports, magazine articles, and blogs as well as interviews with government administrators who have brought innovations to their agencies.
Legislative Explorer
Visualizes lawmaking in Congress across a legislative session. You can filter by topic, type of legislation, chamber, party, member, or specific bill.
National Conference of State Legislatures
"The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues."
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
This organization is dedicated to non-partisan debate on policy issues involving poverty. The website includes research, data, background information and more.

Professional Resources

Journalist's Resource: Research on Today's News Topics
The Harvard Shorenstein Center makes resources available on many current issues in the news. See, for example,"When schools shut down: How education interruptions can hurt student achievement". Resources also address ways to do research, "How they did it: Public records helped reporters investigate police abuse of power" and "6 tips for reporting on gun policy and gun violence".
Mathematica
A research firm focused on public well being in the areas of education, family support, health, and labor. Many of its reports are available for you to use on the company's web site. Other companies providing research services to the United States government also make many of their reports available to the public. See Westat, MDRC, and RTI International as examples.
Pew Research Center
Non-partisan research group focusing on issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. The center conducts public opinion polling, demographic studies, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. It does not take positions on policy issues.

Resources on Public Policy

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
APPAM is an organization that works to promote excellence in public policy research, analysis, and education. The website provides public policy news and details about conferences.
Does Policy Analysis Matter? by Lee S. Friedman (Editor)
ISBN: 9780520287402
Publication Date: 2017-03-14
How well can democratic decision making incorporate the knowledge and expertise generated by public policy analysts? This book examines the historical development of policy analysis, as well as its use in legislative and regulatory bodies and in the federal executive branch.
Also available as an ebook.
Policy Analysis in the United States by John A. Hird (Editor)
ISBN: 9781447346005
Publication Date: 2018-03-21
This volume gathers original contributions by scholars, exploring the nature of policy analysis in different sectors and at different levels of government, as well as by nongovernmental actors, such as unions, businesses, NGOs, and the media.
Policy Paradox by Deborah Stone
ISBN: 9780393912722
Publication Date: 2011-12-16
The most accessible policy text available. Policy making is a political struggle over values and ideas. By exposing the paradoxes that underlie even seemingly straightforward policy decisions, Policy Paradox shows students that politics cannot be cleansed from the process in favor of "rationality." Author Deborah Stone has fully revised and updated this popular text, which now includes many paradoxes that have arisen since September 11. Examples throughout the book have been updated, and the prose has been streamlined to make a great read even better.
Practical Guide for Policy Analysis by Eugene Bardach; Eric M. Patashnik
ISBN: 9781483359465
Publication Date: 2015-09-15
Eugene Bardach and new co-author Eric Patashnik draw on more than 40 years of experience teaching students to be effective, accurate, and persuasive policy analysts. This bestselling handbook presents dozens of concrete tips, interesting case studies, and step-by-step strategies for the budding analyst as well as the seasoned professional.
Writing Public Policy by Catherine F. Smith
ISBN: 0199933928
Publication Date: 2012-07-09
In Writing Public Policy, Third Edition, Catherine F. Smith presents a general method for planning, producing, assessing, and critically analyzing communications in a variety of real-life public policy contexts and situations. This practical, concise guide is ideal for students preparing forcareers in politics, government, public relations, law, public policy, journalism, social work, public health, public safety, or in any role concerned with public affairs.