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Reports and Policy Papers
- RAND PublicationsRAND's mission is "to help improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis." Search the archive of over 20,000 RAND documents dating back to 1946. RAND provides access to research on hundreds of topics.
- Social Science Research Network (SSRN)Browse by network, journal, topic. SSRN provides access to research publications in the social sciences, including Economics, Political Science, Law, Management, Social & Environmental Impact, etc.
- Policy ArchiveFree, online research library of over 30,000 reports covering public policy across the United States. Browse by subject or search by keyword.
- The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT)The Behavioral Insights Team is a British office tasked with using research to improve public policy in the UK. The organization's goals are to "make public services more cost-effective and easier for citizens to use; improve outcomes by introducing a more realistic model of human behaviour to policy; and wherever possible,
enable people to make ‘better choices for themselves."
Think tanks are independent research organizations that have been created to conduct interdisciplinary research with the aim of providing expert advice on public policy issues. Although they are often described as non-partisan, this does not mean that they hold a neutral position on issues. The term "non-partisan" simply means that the organization does not hold the official endorsement of any political party.
Always vet information from think tanks thoroughly. Do outside research on the organization to determine where they get their funding and what individuals and organizations endorse and utilize certain think tanks. Compare a think tank's research to other research resources.
- American Policy Directory [University of Oregon Libraries]A directory of public policy organizations arranged by topic.
- Virginia Institute for Public Policy (VIPP)VIPP is an independent, nonpartisan, education and research organization that is dedicated laying "the intellectual foundation for a society dedicated to individual liberty, entrepreneurial capitalism, and a constitutionally-limited government."
- Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (TJI)The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and education organization that is dedicated to providing Virginia's community and leadership with "thoughtful, realistic, useful, and non-partisan analysis of public policy issues confronting our commonwealth." TJI focuses on five main policy areas: education, government reform, environmental stewardship, economic development, and legislative analysis.
Government Organizations
- Congress.govU.S. Congress legislation, Congressional Record debates, bill searches, committee reports, and more. Use the advanced search or browse options to locate materials.
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Search for EPA reports, policy and guidance documents, regulatory information, news, and more.
GAO Reports
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. While the focus of the reports are on fiscal analysis, they do provide excellent background information on policies that can be helpful to your overall policy analysis. Background information includes a review of literature, related laws, regulations, etc.
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)Use the advanced search function to find reports by keyword or topic.
Legislative Resources
- Virginia's Legislative Information System (LIS)Search for bills and resolutions, state budget information, meeting schedules, committee members, and more. Bills may be browsed by subject using the subject index, or searched directly.
- LIS Help Center"The Virginia Law Portal is a public website, designed for desktop and mobile devices, that makes the laws of Virginia easier to search, navigate, and find. The Virginia Law Portal is the online home of the Constitution of Virginia, Code of Virginia, Uncodified Acts of Assembly, Regulations of Virginia, Charters and Authorities of Virginia Localities, and Compacts of Virginia."
- Prince Edward County: GovernmentLinks to local county government resources, including: Prince Edward County Code, local committees and commissions, requests for proposals, and more.
- Virginia General AssemblyOnline portal to the Commonwealth's state legislature. Find information on Virginia's Senate and House, state budget, regulations, legislative agencies, and more.
- Virginia Association of Counties (VACo)"VACo exists to support county officials and to effectively represent, promote and protect the interests of counties to better serve the people of Virginia." Online portal to resources on advocacy, education, and news on the local level.
- U.S. SenateHome page of the United States Senate. Search for legislation (including information on the legislative process), committee information, floor proceedings, and more.
- U.S. House of RepresentativesLink to the homepage of the U.S. House of Representatives. Search for information on representatives, current legislation, house committees, and more.
- govtrack.us : Bill TrackingGovtrack is an independent organization that publishes the status of federal legislation, original research on bills and votes, and voting results.