Public policy resources

Government and public policy gateways

Texas-based think tanks and public policy sites

Academic public policy programs

Other think tanks and public policy sites

Government and public policy gateways

American Government and Public Policy Internet Resources from the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley: http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/gallery-us.html
National Political Index: http://www.politicalindex.com/
GODORT: Government Documents Round Table: http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/romans/fdtf/
Journal of Public Policy Links, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy: http://www.lbjjournal.com/
National Institute for Research Advancement's World Directory of Think Tanks: http://www.nira.or.jp/english/nwdtt/nwdtt.html
Policy Archive: https://www.policyarchive.org/
Policy Experts: http://www.policyexperts.org/
PoliticalInformation.com: http://www.politicalinformation.com/
Politics1.com: http://www.politics1.com/index.htm
Public Affairs on the Web from C-SPAN.org: http://www.c-span.org/resources/policy.asp
Yahoo Directory, Public Policy Organizations: http://dir.yahoo.com/Social_Science/Political_Science/Public_Policy/Organizations/

Texas-based think tanks and public policy sites

Center for Public Policy Priorities http://www.cppp.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Center for Public Policy Priorities is a non-partisan, non-profit policy research organization seeking sound solutions to the challenges faced by low- and moderate-income Texans. The Center is committed to improving public policies and private practices that influence the economic and social conditions of individuals, families, and communities.
Institute for Policy and Economic Development, University of Texas at El Paso http://organizations.utep.edu/Default.aspx?alias=organizations.utep.edu/iped: The Institute for Policy and Economic Development (IPED) is a key component in the university’s commitment to deepen public understanding of the issues that face the culturally diverse community of tomorrow. Through the Institute, UTEP has pulled together some of its top researchers to tackle the region's most pressing issues. IPED’s activities are broken down into the following groups: economic development, technology and business, trade and transportation, and survey research. The Institute’s interdisciplinary approach to research design, data collection, and analysis provides IPED’s clientele with objective information to form the framework needed for public policy investigation.
Institute for Policy Innovation http://www.ipi.org/ipi/IPIHome.nsf?OpenDatabase: Orientation: conservative. The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy think tank based in Lewisville, Texas. IPI was founded in 1987 by Congressman Dick Armey. The Institute focuses on approaches to governing that harness the strengths of individual liberty, limited government, and free markets. IPI's work concentrates on issues such as taxation and government spending, economic growth initiatives, and government regulation.
Lone Star Foundation http://www.lonestarfoundation.org/studies.asp: Orientation: conservative. The Lone Star Foundation is a Texas-based think-tank devoted to providing the resources and research needed for the development of public policy based on traditional Texas values of family, freedom, free enterprise, and the Constitution.
Private Enterprise Research Center http://www.tamu.edu/perc/: Orientation: conservative. The mission of the Private Enterprise Research Center (PERC) is to provide Texas A&M University, the state of Texas, and the nation with analysis of important policy issues. PERC has been involved in studying issues related to revamping the way Medicare and Social Security are financed, in writing on financial market deregulation, and in evaluating government spending.
Public Citizen - Texas State Office http://www.citizen.org/texas/: Orientation: progressive. Founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that represents consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch, and the courts. Since 1984, Public Citizen's Texas State Office has concerned itself with environmental enforcement policies, global warming, promoting renewable/clean energy, product safety, nuclear safety, medical safety, auto safety/quality, pesticide safety, insurance reforms, campaign finance/ethics issues, improving state government agency operations, and fair trade policies.
Texas Center for Policy Studies http://www.texascenter.org/: Orientation: progressive. Founded in 1983 in Austin, the Texas Center for Policy Studies brings together the people and the information necessary to ensure that growth and development in Central Texas enhances rather than diminishes the quality of life for all citizens. TCPS concentrates its work on three program areas: regional growth and development; statewide environmental issues; and the Texas/Mexico border region.
Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute http://www.txccri.org/: Orientation: conservative. The Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute (TCCRI) was founded in 1996 by a group of conservative leaders with a vision to assist in the implementation of conservative public policies at all levels of government. The organization was inspired by the success of the Texas Conservative Coalition, (the conservative caucus in the Texas Legislature,) which has served as a resource for information and public policy strategies for Texas legislators since 1985. The organization was founded on the conservative principles of limited government, individual liberties, free enterprise, and traditional values.
Texans for Public Justice http://www.tpj.org/index.jsp: Orientation: progressive. Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) is an Austin-based non-partisan, non-profit organized in 1997 to take on political corruption and corporate abuses in Texas. Through intensive research and public advocacy, TPJ hopes to add a clear voice to debates on political reform, consumer protection, civil justice and corporate accountability. TPJ’s publication Lobby Watch seeks to expose those who would sell their influence in the capitol.
Texas Institute for Health Policy Research http://www.healthpolicyinstitute.org/: Created in 1964, the Texas Institute for Health Policy Research is a statewide, non-profit, non-partisan organization that advocates for improvement in the health of Texas’ citizens through education in health policy options and grassroots community-based health solutions. With a vision for improved health care for Texans, the Institute analyzes health care issues and their impact on individuals and their communities.
Texas Public Policy Foundation http://www.texaspolicy.com/links.php: Orientation: conservative. The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute guided by the core principles of limited government, free enterprise, private property rights, and individual responsibility.
Tomás Rivera Policy Institute http://www.trpi.org/: Founded in 1985, the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute advances critical, insightful thinking on key issues affecting Latino communities through objective, policy-relevant research. TRPI is affiliated with the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California and the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin.

Academic public policy programs

Gateways

Graduate School & Graduate, MBA, PhD Programs & Degrees (GradSchools.com) http://www.gradschools.com/listings/menus/pubpol_menu.html

Academic programs

Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania http://www.appcpenn.org/: The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania conducts and disseminates research, hosts lectures and conferences, and convenes roundtable discussions that highlight important questions about the intersection of media, communication, and public policy. The Policy Center, which has offices in Philadelphia and Washington DC, conducts ongoing research in the areas of political communication, information and society, media and the developing child, health communication, and adolescent risk.
Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, Ashland University http://www.ashbrook.org/: The Ashbrook Center's programs are directed to the scholarly defense of individual liberty, limited constitutional government and civic morality, which together constitute our democratic way of life. The Ashbrook Center was established and named in honor of the late Congressman who represented Ohio's 17th Congressional district for 21 years. Representative John Ashbrook was a popular and forceful advocate and spokesman for limited constitutional government and reduced federal spending. Those values were reemphasized by President Ronald Reagan when he personally dedicated the Center on May 9, 1983.
Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University http://www.jhu.edu/~ips/index.html: The Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) seeks to improve the response of government, businesses, and nonprofit institutions locally, nationally, and internationally to such challenges as poverty, urban decline, and regional changes. To accomplish these goals, IPS is engaged in an active program of policy research, dissemination, implementation and technical assistance, and graduate education. Research projects during the 2001-2002 academic year covered such issues as job retention among welfare recipients, housing assistance and long-term dependency, economic development strategies for Baltimore, and the contribution of nonprofits to the local economy.
Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, Michigan State University http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/default.asp: The Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) applies research to pressing public policy issues and builds problem-solving relationships between the academic and policymaker communities. To this end the Institute: promotes and conducts research on issues of public policy; provides survey research services; produces public policy education and training programs; and initiates discussion of society's most pressing needs among diverse audiences.
Joint Center for Poverty Research, Northwestern University/University of Chicago http://www.jcpr.org/: The Northwestern University / University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research (JCPR) supports academic research that examines what it means to be poor and live in America. JCPR concentrates on the causes and consequences of poverty in America and the effectiveness of policies aimed at reducing poverty. Our goal is to advance what is known about the economic, social and behavioral factors that cause poverty, and to establish the actual effects of interventions designed to alleviate poverty. The Center's research agenda focuses on: changing labor markets and the causes of inequality in the current labor market; family functioning and the well-being of children; the impact of concentrated urban poverty; and the effects in these domains, and others, of changing policy and new programs.
John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University http://ksgwww.harvard.edu/: The mission of the John F. Kennedy School of Government is to train leaders to strengthen democratic governance at home and abroad. The Kennedy Schoolâ€™s research and policy centers specialize in particular policy areas such as international security, social policy, the press, and human rights. Policymakers will find the web site a useful source of cutting-edge research that affects policy on issues ranging from international security, terrorism, Medicare, and housing. The site also hosts working papers and links to other research resources.
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/: The LBJ School of Public Affairs has a nationally recognized program of policy research that is dedicated to finding practical, innovative solutions to public problems and to deepening our understanding of the public policy process. Through policy centers and curriculum-based research projects, faculty and students tackle many of the issues facing our nation's governments: how to control the spiraling cost of public services while maintaining an adequate safety net for those in need; how to empower residents of inner cities to revitalize their neigborhoods; how to balance environmental concerns with economic development goals.
Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, State University of New York at Albany http://www.rockinst.org/: The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government conducts studies and special projects to assist government and enhance the capacity of states and localities to meet critical challenges. Through its conferences, research, and publications, the Institute works with experts and top officials at all levels of government to forge creative solutions to public problems. The work of the Institute focuses on the role of state governments in the American federal system.
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research http://siepr.stanford.edu/: The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) is a nonpartisan economic policy research organization that unites remarkable economic talent from all parts of Stanford University. Former statesman George Shultz played an important role in forming the Institute in 1982. SIEPR facilitates intellectual exchange between academic scholars, leaders in the business community and government officials.
Texas State University MPA Program - Applied Research Projects http://ecommons.txstate.edu/arp/: The Applied Research Projects site contains the capstone research projects of the Texas State Master of Public Administration Program. The papers examine a variety of contemporary policy and management issues dealing with Texas state and local government.
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University http://www.wws.princeton.edu/: The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs serves interests in both domestic public policy and international affairs and emphasizes experiential, policy-oriented research and learning in its graduate program. The School sponsors more than 20 research centers and programs that focus on issue areas ranging from health and well-being, to law and public affairs, science, technology, and public policy.

Other think tanks and public policy sites

American Enterprise Institute http://www.aei.org/: Orientation: conservative. The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) is dedicated to preserving and strengthening limited government, private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong foreign policy and national defense through scholarly research, open debate, and publications. AEI research covers economics and trade; social welfare; government tax, spending, regulatory, and legal policies; U.S. politics; international affairs; and U.S. defense and foreign policies.
Brookings Institution http://www.brookings.org/: Orientation: centrist. The Brookings Institution is an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to research, analysis, education, and publication focused on public policy issues in the areas of economics, foreign policy, and governance.
Cato Institute http://www.cato.org/: Orientation: libertarian. The Cato Institute is a non-profit public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute is named for Cato's Letters, a series of libertarian pamphlets that helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution. Cato's mission is to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace.
Center for Public Integrity http://www.publicintegrity.org/: Orientation: progressive. The mission of the Center for Public Integrity is to provide the American people with the findings of our investigations and analyses of public service, government accountability, and ethics- related issues.
Center for American Progress http://www.americanprogress.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just, and free America that ensures opportunity for all Americans. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. Our policy and communications efforts are organized around four major objectives: developing a long term vision of a progressive America; providing a forum to generate new progressive ideas and policy proposals; responding effectively and rapidly to conservative proposals and rhetoric with a thoughtful critique and clear alternatives; and communicating progressive messages to the American public.
Center on Budget & Policy Priorities http://www.cbpp.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities conducts research and analysis to inform public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that the needs of low-income families and individuals are considered in these debates. The Center also develops policy options to alleviate poverty, particularly among working families.
Centrists.org http://www.centrists.org/: Orientation: centrist. Centrists.Org serves as a think tank and communications center for bipartisan policy-making. It provides detailed and practical centrist policy ideas that adhere to the basic principles of fairness, cooperation, and responsibility. Currently, Centrists.Org concentrates on five areas: health care, Social Security and pensions, budget and tax policy, economic policy, and public accountability and trust building.
Century Foundation http://www.tcf.org/: Orientation: progressive. Since the Century Foundation's founding in 1919, the institution has called attention to facts and analyses that have corrected widespread misconceptions and provided policymakers with new ideas for addressing the challenges facing the nation. The Foundation's mission is to persuade those who care about issues such as economic inequality, population aging, homeland security, discontent with government and politics, and national security that significant improvements are possible even when the conventional wisdom says they are not.
Commonweal Institute http://www.commonwealinstitute.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Commonweal Institute is a communication, education, and research organization committed to advancing centrist–progressive principles–commitment to future generations, a balance between business and society as a whole, environmental protection, inclusiveness and fairness, separation of church and state, personal choice and privacy, and a comprehensive and nuanced approach to national security–through development and dissemination of information and policy proposals.
Economic Policy Institute http://www.epinet.org/: Orientation: progressive. The mission of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is to provide high-quality research and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair, and sustainable economy. EPI was established in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. Today, with global competition expanding, wage inequality rising, and the methods and nature of work changing in fundamental ways, it is as crucial as ever that people who work for a living have a voice in the economic debate.
Freedom Forum http://www.freedomforum.org/: Orientation: centrist. The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan foundation dedicated to free press, free speech, and free spirit for all people. The Foundation focuses it efforts on three main priorities: First Amendment freedoms; newsroom diversity; and the Newseum, an interactive museum of news. The Newseum posts the front pages of 284 newspapers from 38 countries on its web site each day. The Forum's First Amendment Library provides an array of judicial, legislative, historical, analytical, journalistic, and editorial materials concerning freedom of speech, the press, assembly, petition, and religion. Links to Congressional Research Service reports on First Amendment issues are also included.
Heartland Institute http://www.heartland.org/: Orientation: libertarian. Heartland's mission is to help build social movements in support of ideas that empower people. Such ideas include parental choice in education, choice and personal responsibility in health care, market-based approaches to environmental protection, privatization of public services, and deregulation in areas where property rights and markets do a better job than government bureaucracies.
Heritage Foundation http://www.heritage.org/: Orientation: conservative. The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
Hudson Institute http://www.hudson.org/: Orientation: conservative. The Hudson Institute is committed to free markets and individual responsibility, confidence in the power of technology to assist progress, respect for the importance of culture and religion in human affairs, and determination to preserve Americaâ€™s national security.
Institute for Policy Studies http://www.ips-dc.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Institute for Policy Studies (ISP) works with social movements to forge viable and sustainable policies to promote democracy, justice, human rights, and diversity. IPS played key roles in the Civil Rights and anti–war movements in the 1960s, the women's and environmental movements in the 1970s, the anti–apartheid and anti–intervention movements in the 1980s, and the fair trade and environmental justice movements today. The Institute serves as a bridge between progressive forces in government and grass-roots activists, and between movements in the U.S. and those in the developing world.
Manhattan Institute http://www.manhattan-institute.org/: Orientation: conservative. The Manhattan Institute was founded as a think tank whose stated mission was "to develop and disseminate ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility." The Institute supports research on issues such as taxation, tort reform, welfare, crime, the legal system, urban life, race, education, and many other topics.
National Bureau of Economic Research http://www.nber.org/: Orientation: centrist. The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. NBER associates concentrate on four types of empirical research: developing new statistical measurements, estimating quantitative models of economic behavior, assessing the effects of public policies on the U.S. economy, and projecting the effects of alternative policy proposals.
National Center for Policy Analysis http://www.ncpa.org/: Orientation: conservative. The National Center for Policy Analysis' goal is to develop and promote private alternatives to government regulation and control, solving problems by relying on the strength of the competitive, entrepreneurial private sector. Topics of interest include reforms in health care, taxes, Social Security, welfare, criminal justice, education and environmental regulation.
National Center for Public Policy Research http://www.nationalcenter.org/: Orientation: conservative. The National Center for Public Policy Research is a communications and research foundation dedicated to providing free market solutions to today's public policy problems. The Center believes that the principles of a free market, individual liberty, and personal responsibility provide the greatest hope for meeting the challenges facing America in the 21st century.
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press http://people-press.org/: Orientation: progressive. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics, and public policy issues. The Center is best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories and for polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes.
Progressive Policy Institute http://www.ppionline.org/: Orientation: centrist. Affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council, PPI's mission is to modernize progressive politics and government for the Information Age. The Institute's philosophy rests on three cornerstones: the idea that government should promote equal opportunity for all while granting special privilege for none; an ethic of mutual responsibility that equally rejects the politics of entitlement and the politics of social abandonment; and a new approach to governing that empowers citizens to act for themselves.
Public Agenda http://www.publicagenda.org: For over a quarter of a century, Public Agenda has provided unbiased and unparalleled research that bridges the gap between what American leaders and ordinary citizens really think about issues including: education, foreign policy, immigration, religion, and civility in American life. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, Public Agenda was founded by social scientist and author Daniel Yankelovich and former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. Public Agenda's two-fold mission is to help American leaders better understand the public's point of view and to help citizens know more about critical policy issues, so both groups can make thoughtful, informed decisions. Public Agenda conducts public opinion polls and presents information on issues including: abortion, crime, gambling, immigration, internet privacy, social security, and welfare.
RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/: Orientation: centrist/conservative. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. Project RAND, as it was originally known, separated from the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1948. Initially, RAND's research focused on issues of national security. Eventually, RAND expanded its intellectual reserves to offer insight into other areas, such as business, education health, law, and science. Today, RAND emphasizes several areas of research that reflect the changing nature of a global society. Much of RAND's research is carried out on behalf of public and private sponsors and clients; however, RAND also conducts its own independent research on issues that otherwise might not receive funding.
Reason Public Policy Institute http://www.rppi.org/: Orientation: conservative/libertarian. A division of the Los Angeles–based Reason Foundation, the Reason Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public–policy think tank promoting choice, competition, and a dynamic market economy as the foundation for human dignity and progress. Reason produces rigorous, peer-reviewed research and directly engages the policy process, seeking strategies that emphasize cooperation, flexibility, local knowledge, and results. Through practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way people think about issues, and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and voluntary institutions to flourish.
State Policy Network http://www.spn.org/: Orientation: libertarian. State Policy Network (SPN) is the professional service organization for America's state–based, free market think tank movement. SPN's online directory provides links to market-oriented think tanks in all 50 states. Founded in 1992, SPN's goal is to build a stronger organization that can strengthen the existing infrastructure by encouraging collaboration and cooperation and cultivate the talents of the people who champion economic liberty in the states, enabling them to continue the good fight as effectively as possible.
Urban Institute http://www.urban.org/: Orientation: centrist/progressive. The Urban Institute is a nonprofit policy research organization established in Washington, D.C., in 1968. The Institute investigates the social and economic problems confronting the nation as well as the government policies and public and private programs designed to alleviate them. The Institute's objectives are to sharpen thinking about society's problems and efforts to solve them, improve government decisions and their implementation, and increase citizens' awareness about important public choices.

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