Library
Institute of
Governmental Studies

109 Moses Hall #2370
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-2370

(510) 642-1472
(510) 643-0866 (f)


American Government and Public Policy
Internet Resources

November 2007

 
Gateway Sites
Academic and Research Sites
Academic and Research Organizations
Scholarly Journals
Other Resources
Congress and Law
Key Official Sites
Selected Resources on Congress
Law and Legislation
Courts and Case Law
Executive Branch
Selected Executive Agencies
Other Resources
Media
Newspapers
News Services, Magazines, etc.
Other Resources
Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections
Political Parties
2004 Election
2000 Election
1996 Election
Election Statistics
Campaign Finance
Other Resources
Public Opinion
Public Policy
Public Interest/Advocacy Organizations
General
Economic Policy
Environmental Policy
Social Policy
Tax and Budget Policy
Other Resources
States and Localities
Professional/Scholarly Sites
Laws and Ordinance Codes
State Law
Local Codes
Other Resources
Statistics
Key Federal Sources
Key Federal Agencies
University Data Centers
Other Resources

[index] [top] Gateway Sites

[index] [top] Academic and Research Sites

Academic and Research Organizations

Scholarly Journals [index] [top]
(Abstracts or table of contents only, unless otherwise noted)

[index] [top] Other Resources

[index] [top] Congress & Law

Key Official Sites

[index] [top] Selected Resources on Congress

[index] [top] Law and Legislation

[index] [top] Courts and Case Law

[index] [top] Executive Branch

Selected Executive Agencies

[index] [top] Other Resources

[index] [top] Media

Newspapers

[index] [top] News Services, Magazines, Etc.

[index] [top] Other Resources

[index] [top] Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections

Political Parties

[index] [top] 2004 Election

[index] [top] 2000 Election

[index] [top] Election Statistics

  • American National Election Studies (Stanford University, University of Michigan)
    "ANES conducts national surveys of the American electorate in election years and carries out research and development work through pilot studies."
  • Voting and Election Collection (Congressional Quarterly) "Documents and data on specific elections, important events, electoral process, and more." [Use advanced search and select election years].
  • Election Information (U.S. Congress. House. Office of the Clerk)
    Official federal election statistics from 1920 onward. 1920-2006 in PDF format.
  • LandVote (Trust for Public Land)
    Tracks land conservation ballot measures accross the United States.
  • Lijphart Elections Archive (U.C. San Diego)
    "A research collection of district level election results for approximately 350 national legislative elections in 26 countries." Mayoral Elections Database (U.S. Conference of Mayors) U.S. mayoral election statistics, 1999 onward.
  • U.S. Presidential Election Maps, 1860-1996 (University of Virginia. Geospatial & Statistical Data Center)
    Maps of the percent of the popular vote, and electoral vote distribution and totals.
  • Voter Turnout: A Global Survey (IDEA, International Institute for Democracy andElectoral Assistance)
    Voter turnout by country from 1945 to date.
  • Voting and Registration (U.S. Census Bureau)
    Major resource for current and historical voting and registration statistics.

[index] [top] Campaign Finance

  • Brookings Campaign Finance Home Page (Brookings Institution)
    "Source of essential cases, legal and policy materials on campaign finance."
  • Campaign Disclosure Project UCLA School of Law, Center for Governmental Studies and California Voter Foundation)
    "Bringing sunlight to political money in the fifty states."
  • Campaign Finance: Public Policy Inquiry (Hoover Institution)
    Includes sections on campaign finance history, reform proposals, Supreme Court cases, etc.
  • Campaign Finance Information Center (Investigative Reporters and Editors, Missouri School of Journalism)
    "Dedicated to helping journalists follow the campaign money trail--on the national, state and local levels."
  • Campaign Finance Institute
    Affiliated with George Washington University, the institute addresses campaign finance issues "in a manner that reaches across traditional lines of debate through broad programs of research, deliberation and public education." Includes a "Key Races 2000" feature tracking campaign fundraising in the most competitive House and Senate races.
  • Campaign Finance Materials (Stanford Law School Library)
    Includes links to case materials for all the lawsuits filed against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. Also includes links to other campaign finance cases, news and opinion pieces, and a bibliography.
  • Campaign Finance Reform (Pew Charitable Trusts)
    "Your online resource for campaign finance reform research, news and information."
  • Center For Responsive Politics (opensecrets.org)
    Non-partisan tracking of money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy.
  • The Color of Money (Public Campaign)
    A study of campaign contributions to House and Senate candidates in the 1996 election. The key finding is that "the vast majority of contributions came from areas that are primarily white and wealthy." Includes a database with total contributions, per capita contributions and number of donors by zip code.
  • Federal Election Commission (FEC)
    Created in 1975 to administer the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. Official source for campaign finance data.
  • Follow the Money (Institute on Money in State Politics)
    Database for tracking interest group campaign contributions in state elections.
  • National Voting Rights Institute
    "The Institute aims to redefine the issue of private money in public elections as the ation's newest voting rights barrier, and to vindicate the constitutional right of all citizens, regardless of their economic status, to participate in the electoral process on an equal and meaningful basis."
  • OpenSecrets.org
    For description see Center for Responsive Politics above.
  • PoliticalMoneyLine (TRKC Inc.)
    Major site for federal campaign finance data. Includes databases searchable by candidate name and donor. Also includes "subscriber only" databases FECInfo Pro and PACtracker.
  • Public Campaign
    Advocates reforms to reduce the role of special interest money in America's elections and the influence of big contributors in American politics)
  • Self-Financing Candidates in American Elections (Jennifer A. Steen, Boston College)
    Includes text of Steen's docroral dissertation: Money Isn't Everything: Self-Financing Candidates in U.S. House Elections, 1992-98.
  • Soft Money Laundromat (Common Cause)
    Database of soft money contributions to the Democratic and Republican national committees.

[index] [top] Other Resources

  • Annenberg Political Fact Check (Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania)
    "A nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases."
  • Ballot Access News (Richard Winger)
    Non-partisan newsletter reporting on ballot access issues.
  • Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
    "Where progressives turn to fight or launch a ballot initiative."
  • buyingtime.org (Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law)
    Searchable database of political TV advertising in the 1998 congressional elections. Used in the preparation of the 2000 report: Buying Time: Television Advertising in the 1998 Congressional Elections.
  • Caltech-MIT/Voting Technology Project
    Seeks to establish standards for reliable voting systems in order to prevent the kinds of problems that occurred in the 2000 presidential election.
  • Campaigns & Elections (Congressional Quarterly, Inc.)
    "The magazine for people in politics."
  • Center for Voting and Democracy
    Examines how voting systems affect voter participation; specializes in reapportionment and proportional representation.
  • Committee for the Study of the American Electorate (George Washington University)
    Focuses on issues of citizen engagement in politics. (Find the link at bottom of page.)
  • DemocracyNet (League of Women Voters Education Fund and Grassroots.com)
    "Your premier public interest site for election information."
  • ELECnet's "Getvoting411.us" (Edward Packard)
    "Election administration resources on the Internet."
  • Election Center
    "A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and improving democracy. Its members are government employees whose profession is to serve in voter registration and elections administration."
  • electionline.org (Election Reform Information Project)
    "Non-partisan, non-advocacy website providing up-to-the-minute news and analysis on election reform."
  • Elections (Government Documents Roundtable, American Library Association)
    Excellent starting point for Web-based resources on elections.
  • Electoral College (National Archives and Records Administration)
    Electoral college information and statistics.
  • EMILY's List
    "A political network for pro-choice Democratic women."
  • How to Register to Vote in the United States (RegisterVote.com)
    Voter registration qualifications and procedures for the 50 states. Sponsored by the Bagwell Agency.
  • Improving Campaign Conduct (American University. Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies)
    "A three-year grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to work with the campaign consulting industry to improve the conduct of election campaigns."
  • Initiative & Referendum Institute
    This site and a sister site Ballot Watch "provide in-depth non-partisan and non-political information about the initiative and referendum process."
  • Issues 2001 (Issues 2000)
    "Every political leader on every issue." Matches candidates and elected officials to their positions on the issues.
  • LandVote (Trust for Public Land)
    Database tracking conservation-related ballot measures, 1994 onward.
  • League of Women Voters
  • The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commericials (American Museum of the Moving Image)
    "Online exhibition presenting more than 250 television commercials from every election year beginning in 1952."
  • National Association of State Election Directors
    Includes linked directory of state election offices.
  • Political Commercial Archive (University of Oklahoma's Political Communication Center)
    A repository of radio and television commercials and other archival resources related to the study of the political communication process.
  • Political Resouces On-line
    "Tools for candidate, issue and corporate campaigns." Includes online version of Political Resource Directory, a national list of political consultants and campaign management firms.
  • PoliticsandElections.com (Kathleen Thompson Hill and Gerald Hill)
    Covers politics and election news, with an emphasis on the U.S. and Canada.
  • Politics1 (Politics1.com)
    "Non-partisan public service to promote fully informed decision-making by the American electorate."
  • Project Vote Smart
    "Tracks and provides to the public independent factual information on over 13,000 candidates and elected officials."
  • The Vanishing Voter (Joan Shorenstein Center, Harvard University)
    "A project to study and invigorate the American electoral process."

[index] [top] Public Opinion

[index] [top] Public Policy

Public Interest/Advocacy Organizations

General
[index] [top] Economic Policy
[index] [top] Environmental Policy
[index] [top] Social Policy
[index] [top] Tax and Budget Policy
  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
    "Conducts research and analysis on a range of government policies and programs, with an emphasis on those affecting low- and moderate-income people."
  • Citizens Against Government Waste
  • Citizens for Tax Justice
    "Dedicated to fair taxation at the federal, state, and local levels."
  • Concord Coalition
    "Dedicated to eliminating federal budget deficits while ensuring Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are secure for all generations."
  • National Budget Simulation (NathanNewman.org)
    The simulation is designed to give the user "a better feel of the trade-offs which policy makers need to make in creating federal budgets and dealing with deficits."
  • National Tax Association
    "The leading association of tax professionals dedicated to advancing understanding of the theory and practice of public finance. "
  • National Taxpayers Union
    "A non-partisan, public interest advocacy organization dedicated to lower taxes, less wasteful spending, and the principles of rational and limited government."
  • OMB Watch
    "Formed in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)."
  • Tax Foundation
    "Publish[s] reports that boil down our complex tax system to something an informed layman can understand; and answer[s] questions from the public and the media on tax policy, rates and collections."
  • Taxpayers for Common Sense
    "Works to cut government waste by reaching out to taxpayers from all political perspectives."

[index] [top] Other Resources

  • Codes of Ethics Online (Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology)
    Includes "codes of ethics of professional societies, corporations, government, and academic institutions."
  • D.C.Orbit
    "The web network of Washington's influentials."
  • Democracies Online
    "Promoting online civic participation and democracy efforts around the world through information exchange, experience sharing, outreach, and education."
  • Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet (Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University)
    Funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts "to promote the development of U.S. online politics in a manner which upholds democratic values."
  • LegalEthics.com (Internet Legal Services)
    "A gateway to understand the unique ethical issues raised by the Internet and Internet technology."
  • Moving Ideas Network
    "News and resources from more than 120 research and advocacy organizations."
  • Political Advocacy Groups (Kathi Fountain, CSU, Chico)
    Alphabetical and subject lists.
  • Science & Technology in Congress (Bulletin of the AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Congress)

[index] [top] States and Localities

Professional/Scholarly Sites

[index] [top]Courts, Laws and Ordinance Codes

State Law
  • WashLaw Web (Washburn University School of Law Library)
    Includes links to state legal materials and legislative information.
  • StateNet
    Bill tracking and legislative reporting subscription service for the 50 states. Also does news and analysis in a range of online and print publications, including California Journal and a series of state-based Capitol Journals.
  • U.S. State Constitutions (Constitution Society)
    Links to full-text versions of state constitutions.
  • U.S. State Constitutions (FindLaw)
    Links to full-text versions of state constitutions.
[index] [top] Local Codes (municipal/county codes available online)

[index] [top] Other Resources

  • Citistates Group
    "A network of journalists, speakers and advisers committed to competitive, equitable and sustainable 21st century metropolitan regions."
  • Cyburbia
    "Internet resources for the built environment." Online Magazine.
  • Finding Local Information (Environmental Design Library, U.C. Berkeley)
    "A bibliographic research guide to finding U.S. community-specific information ... with an emphasis on the San Francisco Bay Area and California."
  • Governing.com (Congressional Quarterly, Inc.)
    "The magazine of states and localities."
  • GovExec.com (National Journal Group, Inc.)
    "A service of Government Executive Magazine."
  • Government Technology
    Online version of Government Technology magazine.
  • Index to Current Urban Documents (Greenwood Publishing Group)
    Companion index to the Urban Documents Collection, in microfiche to July 2000; online in PDF format thereafter.
  • LOGIN
    "Information exchange for government professionals." Subscription service.
  • MuniNet Guide and Review
    "Your reference guide to municipal web sites." Features a database of local government web sites searchable by name and functional categories. Access to the current issue of the MuniNet Guide and Review newsletter.
  • Official City Sites
    Directory of links to city and county official sites, organized by state. Some international coverage as well.
  • Public Record Databases (Pacific Information Resources, Inc.)
    Links to many state-based public records databases, including those for unclaimed property records, sex offender registries, etc.
  • PA Times (American Society for Public Administration)
    Selected articles and announcements from recent issues of PA Times.
  • Smart Growth Network
  • State and Local Government on the Net (Piper Resources)
  • State and Territorial Governments, Local Governments and Tribal Governments and Native Americans (FirstGov)
  • stateline.org (Pew Center on the States)
    "Your source for news on the states."
  • Sustainable Communities Network
    "Linking citizens to resources and to one another to create healthy, vital, sustainable communities."

[index] [top] Statistics

Key Federal Sources

[index] [top] Key Federal Agencies

[index] [top] University Data Centers

[index] [top] Other Resources

  • Adherents.com
    Major site for statistics on church membership and religious adherence. Includes U.S. statistics by state, and religious affiliations of U.S. presidents and members of congress.
  • EconData.Net (Andrew Reamer & Associates and Impresa, Inc.)
    "Your guide to regional eocnomic data on the web."
  • The Electronic Map Library (Dept. of Geography, California State University, Northridge)
    A series of data atlases, mostly of U.S. metropolitan areas.
  • General Social Survey (Queens College)
    Surveys of the adult American population conducted almost every year since 1972.     Green Book (U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means)
    Provides program descriptions and historical data on a wide variety of social and economic programs.
  • Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) (University of Minnesota)
    "Census microdata for social and economic research."
  • Lexis-Nexis Statistical [Access for UC users] (Lexis-Nexis)
    Proprietary service providing comprehensive access to statistical information; links to full-text at many government web sites.
  • National Center for Charitable Statistics
    "National repository of data on the nonprofit sector in the United States."     Population Index (1986-2000.) (Princeton University. Office of Population Research)
    "The primary reference tool to the world's population literature."
  • Record of American Democracy, 1984-1990 (ROAD) (Harvard University. Dept. of Government)
    "Includes election returns, socioeconomic summaries, and demographic measures of the American public at unusually low levels of geographic aggregation."
  • State Health Facts Online (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
    "Contains the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation."

[index] [top]