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American Politics Research Guide

EUCLID Databases e-Journals Reserves Direct

Table Of Contents

 

Getting Started

American Politics focuses primarily on the American political process in all its forms--judicial, congressional, presidential, local, state, and national. This guide is designed to provide you with an overview of the various resources that are available to scholars of American politics. For a general introduction to available resources in political science, please visit the Emory Political Science Subject Guide. As Emory is an official federal depository for government documents, it holds an impressive number of such materials. Of particular interest is the Serial Set, which is a serially numbered collection of House and Senate Reports and House and Senate Documents (more on this later!)

  • For one-on-one consultations or further research help, please contact Chris Palazzolo , Political Science Liaison/Librarian at the Woodruff Library.
  • Highly recommended as a good refresher on the legislative process and how to locate documents at all stages (bills/resolutions, debates, committee reports, votes, vetoes, etc.) is the subject guide: Tracing Federal Legislation.

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Using EUCLID/Identifying Print Resources in American Politics

 

LOCATING BOOKS BEYOND EMORY

RLIN/Eureka
A catalog of over 75 million items held in research libraries and special libraries. Searchable by author, subject and title. Covers other formats, e.g. videos, beyond books but does not index journal articles.

WorldCat
A comprehensive catalog of items held by a wide-range of libraries including research and public institutions. Searchable by author, title and subject. Covers other formats beyond books but does not index journal articles.

 

General American Politics

 

American Politics is covered in general reference materials such as:

  • Almanac of American Politics--available online at National Journal (http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/almanac/)
    RefDesk JK1012.A44
    An invaluable resource for those interested in congressional politics. Print version organized by congressional district and includes socio-demographic, electoral, and economic data for all districts.
  • Almanac of Federal PACs
    Reference JK1991 .A719 2002/2003
    Detailed information on Public Action Committees (PACs) that contributed more than K to congressional candidates. Published every two years. An excellent online resource for tracing the flow of such funds to political candidates.
  • Washington Information Directory
    RefDesk F192.5 W4
    Contact information on federal agencies, congressional committees, non-profits, etc.
    This directory lists those public (and some private and nonprofit) agencies most active in various substantive policy areas such as energy, the environment, urban affairs, health, etc. Includes subject, agency, and organization indexes.
  • Carroll's Federal Directory
    RefDesk JK6.F42
    Essential Contact information for the federal legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
  • Political Reference Almanac
    Reference JK271.P6
    Similar information to the Almanac of American Politics, but less detailed.
  • Statistical Abstract of the United States
    RefDesk C 3.134:2002
    The Statistical Abstract contains a wealth of information on numerous socio-economic and demographic indicators for the US. This resource is also now available as a CD-ROM in the Electronic Data Center.
  • Encylcopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy
    Reference JK9.E526
    Generally concise volume that covers most topics in public administration and public policy. Provides brief biography for most entries.
  • Government Agencies
    Reference JK421.G651983
    An anthology of federal agencies that contains a short historical review of tasks, administrative structure, successes and failures for federal departments, agencies, bureaus, and commissions. A bibliography of sources for additional information is also included for each organization.
  • The U.S. Government Manual
    RefDesk JK42l.A3
    Internet: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/nara001.html
    A directory of the Federal government that provides brief descriptions of each cabinet department and many of the larger independent agencies.
  • Federal Regulatory Directory
    Reference KF5406.Al5F4
    Each edition of this directory defines and portrays the regulatory activities of the federal government. Part of the volume is devoted to in-depth profiles of about fifteen of the most important regulatory agencies, including historical background, power, structure, and authority of the agency. Another ninety agencies are briefly described.
  • Federal Register
    J1.A22 (GovDocs)
    Available via GPO Access: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/su_docs/index.html
    The source for all information regarding agency activities. Agencies publish notices, preliminary regulations, and final regulations in this document which is published daily by the National Archives. Contains index by subject and agency. Available on the web via Woodruff Library Center for Government Information (see #1) or at
  • CIS Federal Register Index
    Reference J1.A22.Suppl (Gov. Docs.)
    Excellent index to the Federal Register. Contains subject, name, and CFR section number indexes. Also features a calendar of effective dates and comment deadlines for recent and pending regulations. Period covered is 1984-1998.

     

Specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries also exist on subfields within American Politics:

 

Congressional Politics

  • Major Studies and Issue Briefs of the Congressional Research Service (Supplement) 1916-present.
    The microfilm is located under numbers 1512, 1676 and 1677 on level 1 of Woodruff Library in the microfilm area. The microguide is available on the 1st floor, Reference JK1108 .G8 1988/1989
  • Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process
    RefDesk KF4937.O43 2001
    Thorough analysis of Congressional procedure, written with the lay person in mind.
  • Almanac of American Politics--available online at National Journal (http://nationaljournal.com/pubs/almanac/)
    RefDesk JK1012.A44
    An invaluable resource for those interested in congressional politics. Print version organized by congressional district and includes socio-demographic, electoral, and economic data for all districts.
  • Congressional Districts in the 2000s
    Reference JK1341 .C65 2003
    Sociodemographic, economic/financial, electoral, and cultural portraits of each of the 435 Congressional districts.
  • Committees in the US Congress, 1789-1946; 1946-1992
    Reference JK1029.C64 2002
    Detailed reference of both Senate and House Committees, their members, duration, and purpose. Newer detail is available via CQ Congressional.
  • Almanac of the Unelected
    Reference JK1083 .A77
    Annual reference source chronicling congressional staff and aides. Most recent volume in reference; others in stacks.
  • Encyclopedia of Interest Groups and Lobbyists in the United States
    JK1118.N47
    Lists and describes some of the major contemporary interest groups and their activities.
  • Congressional Directory
    Call No.: JKl0ll, 99 (Red Ref.)
    Internet: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/cong016.html
    Official guide to the U.S. Congress. Also contains listing for selected executive branch departments and agencies.
  • Congressional Staff Directory
    Call No.: JKl0l2, C65 (Red Ref.)
    Another guide to the U.S. Congress which also contains information for selected executive branch departments and agencies. Includes subject index, biographies of congressional staff members, and lists congressional districts and members for cities and towns with populations of 10,000 or more.

    •  

     

Presidential Politics

  • Encyclopedia of the American Presidency
    Reference JK511.E53
  • The presidency A to Z : a ready reference encyclopedia
    Reference JK511.P75
    Covers origins, development, and roles of the presidency and vice-presidency, with many specific examples and illustrations over time.
  • Encyclopedia of the Clinton Presidency
    E885.L48 2002
    Chronicles events and developments during the 1992-2000 presidential term of Clinton.
  • Presidency A-Z (Congressional Quarterly)
    Reference JK511 .P775 1998
    Concise volume of major terminology and figures associated with presidential politics.
  • United States Executive Branch Biographical Directory of Heads of State and Cabinet Officials
    Reference E176.U575 2003
    Two volume set that provides detailed biographical information for all members of the executive branch--cabinet heads, presidents, and vice-presidents. Each entry includes a short bibliography of both primary and secondary sources for further research.
  • The Modern American Presidency (Lewis Gould)
    E176.1 .G68 2003
  • Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1965-present)
    Documents Reference AE2.109
  • Public Papers of the President of the United States
    Documents Reference AE2.114
    Biannual publication that contains the oral and written statements of all Presidents from Hoover to the present with the exception of FDR.

 

Judicial Politics

  • Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
    Reference KF4548.E53
    Narratives/Essays that consider major cases in constitutional law and history, along with short suggested bibliographies.
  • Constitutional Law Dictionary
    Reference KF4747.5 C32
    Brief narratives/history of major concepts and terms associated with the study and practice of constitutional law.
  • Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments
    Reference KF4557 .V555 2003
    Provides detailed overviews of the development, process, and deliberation of all constitutional amendments.
  • Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2002, 2nd edition
    Reference KF4557.V555
  • United States Constitution A-Z
    Concise volume of major figures and terms associated with the US Constitution and constitutional law.
  • Oxford Guide to US Supreme Court Decisions
    Reference F4548.O97
  • Constitutional Rights Sourcebook
    Reference KF4550.Z9 R463
    Organized by constitutional amendment.

 

U.S. Elections

  • America Votes
    Reference JK1967.A8
    Series that provides electoral data and analysis on an annual basis, at both the state and national levels
  • Guide to US Elections
    Reference JK1967.C662
    Provides election results at both the state and national levels. Also provides background on political parties (including third/minor parties), the development/history of US elections at the federal and state levels. Also provides some significant bibliographical information for further research.
  • Elections A-Z
    Reference JK1976.M57 1999
    Concise dictionary of (American) electoral terms and events.
  • Encyclopedia of Third Parties
    Reference JK2261.E474
    Excellent guide to minor parties in the US since 1789.
  • Encyclopedia of the Democratic Party
    Reference JK2312.E55
    Chronicles developments and changes in Democratic party policies/platforms
  • Encyclopedia of the Republican Party
    Reference JK2352.E56
    Chronicles developments and changes in the Republican party policies/platforms.
  • Statistical History of the US Electorate
    Reference JK1967.R87
    A good compendium of electoral statistics, along with analytical essays and narratives covering historical and contemporary electoral dynamics.

 

State/Local Politics and Government

  • Tapping State Government Information Resources
    Reference Z1223.5.A1
    New guide for performing research on state level issues. Provides basic overview of state resources, then by state. Each chapter is divided by a basic history of the state government publication system, a listing of various general indices, and essential state publications (directories, financial/budgetary resources, legal, statistical, and other). Also provides useful web resources.
  • Book of the States
    RefDesk JK2403.B6
    Good source of general state-level information data (social, political, demographic).
  • State Legislative Yearbook
    RefDesk JK2495.S689
    Resource guide for legislative information in 50 states. Directories and guides for locating information on the legislative process, legislative leaders, legislative financing, political papers/media outlets, lobbying, etc.
  • Inside the Legislative Process
    Reference JK404.R46 2002
    Comparisons of the legislative process, organization, and dynamics across the 50 states.
  • Almanac of State Legislatures: Changing Patterns, 1990-1997

    • Reference-Atlas G1201 .F7 L5 1998
    State-level data of house/senate districts featuring basic demographics, population, district type, education level, unemployment, racial makeup/composition and income. Broadly similar to the Almanac of American Politics, which focuses on federal-level districts.
  • State Atlas of Political and Cultural Diversity

    • Reference
    Tables and data by ethnic group of state-level house/senate districts.
  • Congressional Quarterly's State Factfinder

    • Reference HN60.C68 2003
    Contains numerous charts and rankings of states in a number of areas including population, welfare, transportation, health, education, revenues and finances, crime, technology, politics, and taxes. Latest edition is 2003.
  • State Rankings 2004: A Statistical View of the 50 United States

    • Reference HA203.S73
    Comprehensive data and rankings for the states in a number of areas, including defense, agriculture, crime, education, employment, finance, and health (among others). Latest edition is 2004.
  • County and City Databook

    • The 1988, 1994, and 2000 electronic editions are available here. These data books contain a substantial amount of information on a variety of state-level socio-economic and demographic indicators. Older copies are available in GovDocs C 3.134/2:C 83/2/994.
  • Inside the Legislative Process

    • Reference JK404.R46 2002
    Comparisons of the legislative process, organization, and dynamics across the fifty states.
  • Tapping State Government Information Resources

    • Reference Z1223.5.A51
    New guide for performing research on state level issues. Provides basic overview of state resources, then by state. Each chapter is divided by a basic history of the state government publication system, a listing of various general state information indices, and essential state publications (directories, financial/budgetary resources, legal, statistical, and other). Also provides useful web resources.

 

 

Government Information Sources

The following is simply an abridged list of some of the most popular electronic government resources. For further and more detailed information, please check Tracing Federal Legislation and Government Documents pages. There are also numerous non-congressional publications available from various governmental agencies, including the Department of Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Federal Drug Administration (among most others).

    GENERAL CATALOGS AND GUIDES FOR GOVERNMENT INFORMATION

  • Monthly Catalog of US Government Publications
    GOVDOCREF GP 3.8/8
    The basic list of government publications. Both printed and online versions are available. The print version of the Monthly Catalog covers from 1893 to the present and is primarily used for pre-1976 publications. Earlier versions of the Monthly Catalog exist in varied titles (House Documents and Document Catalogue). Periodicals and other series are listed annually in a periodicals supplement.

    • Cumulative indexes exist for the following periods: 1941-1950, 1951-1960, 1961-1965, 1966-1970, and 1971-1976. A cumulative title index from 1789-1976 can be found under the call number Reference Desk KF40 .C62 1979. Subject indexes to the Monthly Catalog are also available for the years 1895-1899 [Reference Z1223 .A1847 Volumes 1 & 2], and 1900-1971 [Reference Z1223 .A185 Volumes 1-15].

    Until 1995, publications in paper received by the library through the depository program were checked off in the Monthly Catalog. A checkmark in indexes through 1995, then, indicates that the library has that checked item in paper. In addition, all depository titles (identified in the Catalog by a large black dot and an item number) from 1980 to date are available in the Documents microfiche collection on Level 1.

  • Marcive WebDocs
    This is the electronic version of the Monthly Catalog; holds documents from 1976-present.
  • Cumulative Title Index to US Public Documents
    RefDesk KF40.C62
  • Guide to United States Government Publications
    Reference Desk Z1223 .Z7 A5459 [Date]
    Provides a comprehensive annotated guide to the important series, periodicals and reference tools published by U.S. government agencies (including Congress), as well as a historical record of agencies, their publications and the Superintendent of Documents call numbers assigned. Especially useful for tracking publications over time. Latest issue is at the Reference Desk, while back issues are in the Stacks.
  • Descriptive Catalogue of the Government Publications of the U.S., 1774-1881
    Poore, Benjamin P.
    Reference Desk Y 1.1/2:SERIAL 2268
    Provides a chronological list which gives the title, author and date of each document. The subject and name index at the end of the volume refers the user to the page on which the document is listed. The page must then be browsed to locate the entry or entries. NOTE: This index does not give the classification numbers necessary for finding the material in the Woodruff Library. To find publications listed in this index, you will need to consult either the Checklist of U.S. Government Publications, 1789-1909 (Reference Desk GP 3.2:C 41/2/953/V.1), OR with staff at the Reference Desk.
  • Comprehensive Index to the Publications of the U.S. Government, 1881-1893
    Ames, J.C.
    Reference Desk Y 1.1/2:SERIAL 4745
    Reference Desk Y 1.1/2:SERIAL 4746
    Ames's 2 volume collection is arranged alphabetically by subject. There is a personal author index as well. NOTE: This index does not give the classification numbers necessary for finding the material in the Woodruff Library. To find publications listed in this index, you will need to consult either the Checklist of U.S. Government Publications, 1789-1909 (Reference Desk GP 3.2:C 41/2/953/V.1), OR with staff at the Reference Desk.
  • Document Catalogue, 1893-1940
    Documents Reference GP3 .6: 1-25
    A dictionary catalog listing publications by agency, subject, title, and author. Provides the best subject approach to government publications from 1893-1940. Each of the 25 volumes of the Catalogue covers approximately two years of government publishing activity. NOTE: This index does not give the classification numbers necessary for finding the material in the Woodruff Library. To find publications listed in this index, you will need to consult either the Checklist of U.S. Government Publications, 1789-1909 (Reference Desk GP 3.2:C 41/2/953/V.1), OR with staff at the Reference Desk.
  • Cumulative Title Index to United States Public Documents, 1789-1976
    Reference Desk KF40 .C62
    This 16-volume set contains an alphabetical listing of titles of book and series publications contained in the Public Documents Library of the Government Printing Office. Unfortunately, the Cumulative Title Index includes only those titles which have been assigned a SuDoc number, thus excluding the numbered reports and documents of Congress from the Serial Set.
  • Checklist of U.S. Government Publications, 1789-1909
    Reference Desk GP 3.2:C 41/2/953/V.1
    Commonly known as the 1909 Checklist, this volume is the basic source for SuDoc numbers prior to the 20th century. Although there is no subject indexing to documents through the 1909 Checklist, the volume is useful for browsing the publishing output of government agencies and for identifying various editions of the same document. An agency index appears at the end of the volume. There are checkmarks next to items held in the Woodruff Library.

 

CONGRESSIONAL DOCUMENTS AND GUIDES

  • Congressional Record (1789 to present)
    Level One Documents Compact Shelving
    The record of debates in the Senate and House of Representatives. There is an index volume for each session. which is usually shelved after the final volume of the Record for that session.
  • The Serial Set is a serially numbered collection of House and Senate Reports and House and Senate Documents. This collection dates back to 1789 is one of the most heavily used resources in depository libraries nationwide. All reportssrt and documents are issued individually. The later, are collected and bound together in Serial Set volumes for posterity. Thus, the numbering system has to be converted from individual numbers to volume numbers.
  • U.S. Serial Set Index, 1789-1969 (including the American State Papers)
    Reference KF40 .C59, 1st to 91st Congress.
    Online in LexisNexis Congressional.
  • Congressional Research Service--There are several means by which to gain access to CRS reports. Woodruff Library has a large number of these reports on microfilm. Many of these reports have individual records in EUCLID (up to 2001). For more recent reports, look in the microguides on the 1st floor (JK1108.G8). Additionally, many reports have been placed online in various locations (see below). Recently, the University of North Texas unveiled a searchable database of these CRS web reports, free to the public (http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/index.tkl). You can also find many documents online at the following site: http://www.opencrs.com/ (unfortunately, this site has a very elementary search engine; however, it does provide a good relevancy ranking)
    • Congressional Research Service Reports - National Council for Science and the Environment
    Congressional Research Service Reports - Congress and its Procedures
    Congressional Research Service Reports - The Far East, Gateway Japan
    Congressional Research Service Reports - Judicial Process
    Congressional Research Service Reports - Legislative Process
    Congressional Research Service Reports on Science
    Congressional Research Service Reports - US State Department Foreign Press Center
  • Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories
    Reference KF42.2 1979
  • Congressional Index
    Reference KF49.C6
  • CIS Annual. CIS Index to Publications of the United States Congress (1970-present)
    Reference KF49.C62
    Online now on LexisNexis Congressional.
  • CIS Index to Unpublished US House of Representatives Committee Hearings, 1833-1968
    Reference KF40.C54. Accompanies Microfiche 1165.
    Online access at LexisNexis Congressional.
  • CIS Index to Unpublished US Senate Committee Hearings, 1823-1980
    Reference KF40.C55. Accompanies Microfiche 1164.
  • United States Legislation on Foreign Relations and International Commerce
    Reference KF4650.A3
    Annotated volume of major foreign relation and trade legislation. Newer volumes (post volume 7) have the actual text of some of the bills.
  • Statutes at Large
    Government Documents Reference AE 2. 111 (also available in microfiche).
    1813-date.
  • Reports Required by Congress (CIS--Lexis-Nexis)
    Reference JK404.R46
    Annotated volume of executive and judicial reports required by Congress, Microfiche 1382.

 

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Electronic Resources for American Politics

You should also refer to the Database Locator for relevant resources in Economics and Government, Law, and International Affairs.

What follows is a listing of resources specific to American politics and its related fields. I have listed a number of generally important political science and social science databases. Please be sure to consult the principal Political Science Subject Guide for other more general databases and resources.

The contents of articles are not searchable in EUCLID. For assistance in how to find a journal article, please see Finding Articles in Woodruff Library. However, you can look up a journal title in EUCLID by searching under "periodical title" to determine if we have access to the journal and whether or not it is available in electronic format.

Emory University has a large quantity of electronic journals. Check e-Journals@ Emory University Libraries for available titles and whether or not they are available in full-text form. Keep in mind that in a number of cases, there is a one-year or six-month delay on the part of the publisher for accessibility to the full text of the journal.

 

SFX Technology and Databases

Many of the databases below are now powered by SFX technology. When you search library databases, such as Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost), Web of Science (ISI), or Worldcat (FirstSearch), and many others, you’ll often see the button. Clicking on the button will bring up a menu of Emory’s holdings for the journal. The button in databases does not guarantee we own either the print or on-line versions of the journal article. Its purpose is to seamlessly look up where your journal article might be available through Emory's resources and provide links for you to check. If SFX does not provide an on-line version of the article, it will (or you can yourself) search Emory’s library catalog EUCLID for a print version.

 

A useful guide to wildcards and truncations in many Emory databases can be found here: http://web.library.emory.edu/subjects/socsci/polsci/truncationguife.pdf

 

General Political Science and Social Science Databases

  • International Political Science Abstracts (1989-present)
    A bibliographic database that indexes and abstracts articles from periodicals published throughout the world. The abstracts summarize the source articles. Articles in English are abstracted in English; those in other languages are abstracted in French, with all titles translated into English.
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (1967-present)
    Supplies up-to-date bibliographic information and research within the political science discipline and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy.
  • International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (1981-present )
    A bibliographic database compiled by the British Library of Political & Economic Science of the London School of Economics & Political Science. This database contains bibliographic information from an international selection of publications (including over 2600 journals) in the fields of economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
  • PAIS International
    Includes bibliographic records from the literature of public policy, social policy and the social sciences. Types of publications indexed include books, periodicals and selected local, state, national and international government documents.
  • Social Sciences Index (1983-present)
    Indexes core periodicals in the fields of anthropology, economics, geography, law and criminology, political science, social work, sociology, and international relations. Print edition is available at : Reference AI3 .I53 (1974-date).
  • Web of Science
    A collection of multidisciplinary citation databases, including Science Citation Index (print edition available at Reference Z7401 .S365 (1961-present), Social Sciences Citation Index (print edition is available at Reference Z7161 .S65 (1969-1993)), and the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (print edition is available at Reference Z5937 .A795 (1975-2000)). Because the information stored about each article includes the article's cited reference list (i.e., its bibliography), you can also search for articles that cite a known author or work.

 

General American Politics

     

    For an extensive number of links on American Politics, please check out the University of Michigan's Document Center collection of US Politics resources, located at http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/psusp.html. I have tried to accentuate the most useful of these sites.

    CQ Public Affairs

    One of the most useful resources for researching public policy is the Congressional Quarterly Public Affairs collection, which is part of the Congressional Quarterly Electronic Library. CQ divides information resources into 22 issue areas such as education, health, energy, and national security. Each issue area is replete with loads of background and contemporary information. One can find legislative histories, relevant organizations and groups, and a bibliography of relevant sources for public policy.

    CQ Weekly and CQ Researcher

    Both of these resources are part of the Congressional Quarterly Electronic Library. The CQ Researcher focuses on a specific issue each week and provides a comprehensive background on the issue--legislative activity, historical background, current developments, and a bibliography for future research. Online version is searchable and goes back to 1991. CQ Weekly focuses more specifically on congressional activities and developments.

    • Encyclopedia of American Government
      Electronic version of Congressional Quarterly's popular A-Z series on the Constitution, Presidency, etc.
    • The Nation Historical Archive (1865-present)
      The Nation is America's oldest weekly magazine. The Nation Digital Archive enables researchers to access invaluable historical material in ways never before possible — with searches of nearly 200,000 pages for specific topics, authors, issues and date ranges.
    • National Journal (Emory Only)
      National Journal Group Inc. is a publisher of magazines, newsletters, books and directories for people who have a professional interest in politics, policy and government. Includes access to:
      National Journal
      The Hotline
      Markup Reports
      Almanac of American Politics
      Earlybird
      Poll Track
    • Newspaper Source (1994-present)
      Allows for searching for current information from many national and international papers. Has full-text available.
    • Statistical Abstract of the United States (2003)
      Also available on CD-Rom at the Electronic Data Center.
    • Roll Call
      Well-established newspaper of Congressional politics. Published on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays when Congress is in session and on Mondays during inter-sessions.
    • Working Papers in American Politics
      Focuses on various websites of professors and scholars focusing on different aspects of American politics.
    • Working Papers in Public Policy
      Focuses on various websites of professors and scholars who focus on different aspects of (American) public policy.
    • American Politics Bibliography
      Great selection of bibliographies held by different scholars and professors outlining sources for various topics in American politics.
    • Docuticker

      • Daily update of new reports and studies from government agencies, ngo's, think tanks and other groups.
    • Fedstats
      Fedstats is a good starting place for data on the United States and contains links statistical resources produced by the US government.
    • Cases and Materials on American Federalism
      Full-text articles and documents from a course taught by Douglas Amber, a professor at Purdue that focuses on the development and consequences of federalism in the United States.
    • Almanac of Policy Issues
      Divided by subject area. Provides background information on a large number of public policy isuues. Summary documents are either prepared by the Almanac or by government sources such as the CRS (Congressional Research Service).

     

    Congressional Politics

    • Lexis-Nexis Congressional
      An online, full text legislative and regulatory service, published by Congressional Information Service, Inc. (CIS), a leading international publisher of reference, research, and current awareness information products based on information produced by the U.S. government and related information.
    • C-Span
    • Excellent coverage on congressional as well as executive branch activity.
    • CQ Weekly
      Your complete source for expert coverage of the U.S. Congress: status of bills, votes and amendments, floor and committee activity, and backroom maneuvering.
    • CQ Congress Collection
      CQ Congress Collection is a dynamic, data-rich research and reference tool allowing a sweeping historical analysis of members of Congress, their legislative voting behavior, interest groups, and their interactions in crafting public policy.
    • Voter Information Services (VIS)
      Collects data on voting behavior and record of Congressional members.

     

    Presidential Politics

     

    Judicial Politics

     

    Elections

    • CQ Voting and Elections
      CQ Voting and Elections Collection integrates a wealth of data, authoritative analyses, concise explanations, and historical material to help researchers investigate and understand voting and elections in America.
    • Lexis-Nexis Congressional
      An online, full text legislative and regulatory service, published by Congressional Information Service, Inc. (CIS), a leading international publisher of reference, research, and current awareness information products based on information produced by the U.S. government and related information.
    • Roper Center
      The Roper Center is one of the premier polling-data institutions in the country. As you may remember from the January 2004 newsletter, Emory now holds a membership subscription to the Center. There is currently a large focus at Roper on the 2004 election, with numerous links to public opinion on various contemporary issues, such as the rebuilding of Iraq and the same-sex marriage. There are also links to presidential approval ratings, going back to FDR as well as electoral data from past elections.
    • National Journal Poll Track
      Charts recent political polls on various issues and elections.
    • Factcheck
      The Annenberg Political Factcheck analyzes whether or not what political figures say is really true.
    • Campaign Desk
      Hosted by the Columbia Journalism Review. Provides various critiques and analyses of media and politics.
    • Open Secrets
      Reports and analyzes campaign financing for most political candidates. Holds many tables and graphs. One can search by donor, organization, administration official to determine contributions.
    • US House of Representatives Electoral Statistics
    • American National Election Studies
      The popular set of electoral surveys held every two years that cover most aspects of American politics.
    • Research Round-Up Federal and State Election Resources
      Catalogues brief information about electoral commissions by states, along with links.
    • Voter News Service
      The VNS is available through both the ICPSR and Emory's Electronic Data Center. The link above provides access to the (highly controversial) election results provided by the Voter News Service for the 2000 election.

     

    State/Local Politics and Government

    • Lexis-Nexis State Capitol
      Excellent resource that holds information on state bills, statutes, regulation, issues, etc. Allows you to search across state papers, National Council of State Legislatures briefs, reports, and magazines.
    • Stateline.org
      Excellent site that collects and archives articles and reports about different issues of state politics. Has a searchable archive and allows you to search by state, keyword, issue, etc. The only downside is that the site links to several articles from sources which require (free registration).
    • National Governors Association
      Extensive list and full-text of policies and reports on federal-state relations, economic development, human and natural resources.
    • Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States, 6th edition

      • Details current geographical, social, and political data, historical narrative, and statistical information on the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Caribbean and Pacific dependencies of the U.S. Each entry consistently contains data on 50 rubrics. Maps, tables, flags and official state seals included.
    • Governor's Legacy Project
      Searchable database of biographical information for US governors, going back to colonial times and including US territories. Searching is available by name, party, gender, religion, name, etc.
    • City and County Data Book (University of Virginia)
      The 1988, 1994, and 2000 electronic editions are available here. These data books contain a substantial amount of information on a variety of state-level socio-economic and demographic indicators. Print copies available in Reference.
    • Gateway to State and Local Information (from the Rockefeller Institute of Government)
      News, data, and analysis on the finances and unemployment of state and local governments. A number of downloadable excel files are available.
    • State and Local Government Information (Library of Congress)
      Large portal of links to various state government agencies and legislative bodies.
    • Council of State Governments
      Coordinating group that analyzes and investigates state issues and policies and publisher of the Book of the States.
    • University of Michigan State Governments and Politics
      Mega-site of sorts that lists and organizes numerous websites dedicated to state government and politics. Note that there are many links on the site that may be outdated or unavailable.
    • Assessing the New Federalism
      Research program that analyzes federalism as it affects the management of social programs in the states. Data is available for download as are a number of publications produced by the program. Focuses primarily on public policy.

     

    Government Documents

    For further and much more detailed information on official government documents/resources, please check Tracing Federal Legislation and Government Documents pages.

    • U.S. General Accounting Office
      The GAO is an agency of the U.S. Congress. It undertakes a variety of studies, investigations, and reports that examine the use of public funds and the evaluation of federal programs and activities to assist the Congress in making public policy decisions and appropriating public funds.
    • FirstGov
      Major portal for general government information.
    • Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
      Hold several publications and economic data/reports (most in full-text) on the budget that may be of interest.
    • Lexis-Nexis Congressional
      An online, full text legislative and regulatory service, published by Congressional Information Service, Inc. (CIS), a leading international publisher of reference, research, and current awareness information products based on information produced by the U.S. government and related information.
    • Federal Register Historical
      The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and their presidential documents. A historical collection of Federal Register volumes that will eventually cover the years 1936 to 1980, a period not included in LexisNexis or Westlaw. Offers keyword searching and direct access by citation. Articles can be viewed onscreen in image format, downloaded as PDF documents, or printed.
    • THOMAS
      Text of laws since 1973 and accessible by law number. Bill Summary and Status can be used to identify law number by subject, sponsor and stage of legislative process
    • GPO Access
      GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government. This electronic version of the Monthly Catalog is the basic list of government publications. The Web version is updated weekly and provides the most complete bibliographical information for government publications published since January 1994.
    • United States Statutes at Large, Library of Congress, 1789-1875
      Full text of Public Laws passed in the first 43 Congresses. A comprehensive index of terms for the first eight volumes is available in fully searchable text. The remaining volumes have separate indexes. Browsable only.

     

     

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    Journals in American Politics

    What follows is a list of journals associated with the subfield of American Politics. Emory has subscriptions to all these journals, in either print or electronic form. More to be added soon.

    • Political Research Quarterly
    • Legislative Studies Quarterly
    • American Political Development
    • American Politics Quarterly
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