Library Guides: Public Policy: Find Articles & Reports

Article Databases for Public Policy

Below are selected databases most useful in finding academic/scholarly articles for your topic. For a more complete list of the article databases, see the full list of Public Policy Article Databases at UCB.

ProQuest Social Sciences This link opens in a new window
Search social sciences indexes on the ProQuest platform.

An interdisciplinary metasearch through 22 of the the social sciences indexes on the ProQuest platform. Includes EconLit, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, PAIS, PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and more.
PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
An easy-to-use mapping program that includes over 15,000 US demographic and socioeconomic data indicators from the neighborhood census block to national levels. Data may be downloaded to csv.

PolicyMap is an easy-to-use mapping program that includes over 15,000 US demographic and socioeconomic data indicators from the neighborhood census block to national levels. Data about demographics, neighborhood conditions, real estate markets, income, jobs and economy, education, crime, and health can be presented as maps, tables, charts and reports.
PolicyFile This link opens in a new window
Index to U.S. foreign and domestic public policy reports. (Policy File) [1990 - present]

Covers the areas of economics, politics, the environment, and social issues, taken from reports from a wide range of think tanks, Non-governmental organizations, international governmental organizations, and other institutions worldwide.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multi-disciplinary database of scholarly and general interest journals, books, and reports. [1865 - present]

Articles from broad array of peer-reviewed journals, popular and trade magazines and news sources for nearly all areas of study; available in English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Portuguese.
EconLit This link opens in a new window
Indexing and abstracting for international economic journal articles, books, dissertations, book reviews, and working papers. [1969 - present]

The most comprehensive index to scholarly journal articles in economics. It also lists books and dissertations, and indexes articles within 'collective works' (books consisting of collections of essays or individual papers). Most citations include a searchable abstract.
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text for more than 7000 scholarly journals and other sources, including nearly 1100 peer-reviewed business publications. Offers information in nearly every area of business including management, economics, finance, and accounting. [1965 - present]

Indexing, abstracts, and (in many cases) the full text of articles for the most important scholarly business journals as well as popular and trade magazines and newsletters.
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to international, national, local newspapers, and wire services, as well as radio and television transcripts. Database also includes business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. Also includes laws from the U.S., all 50 states, and law reviews. Wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services like the Associated Press, Agence France Press, El Pai.

Nexis Uni allows users to set up personal accounts to personalize your research experience. Nexis Uni has replaced LexiNexis Academic. [dates vary]
LegalTrac This link opens in a new window
Indexes major law reviews, legal newspapers, bar association journals, international legal journals. (Legal Trac) [1980 - present]

Also indexes law-related articles from hundreds of business and general interest titles.
PAIS International This link opens in a new window
Indexes books, journals, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference reports, and web sources related to public policy, politics, economics, and social issues worldwide. (Public Affairs Information Service) [1915 - present]

Includes publications from over 120 countries. Some of the indexed materials are published in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. The Archive covers English-language material only.
Women's Studies International This link opens in a new window
Indexes women's studies, women's issues, and gender-focused books, book chapters, journal and magazine articles, dissertations, and reports from throughout the world. (Womens Studies International) [1972 - present]

Also indexes other resources related to research and commentary on women and women's issues, feminism, and gender.
Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Knowledge) This link opens in a new window
Citations for journal articles spanning all Social Science disciplines; provides searching of footnoted citations. Specify Social Science Citation Index search only by deselecting other Indexes in "Limits". [1956 - present]

Indexes over 1,700 journals spanning 50 disciplines, as well as covering individually selected items from over 3,300 of the world's leading scientific and technical journals, and provides searching of footnoted citations. For more guidance on using this database see the following tutorials: Saving your search & setting alerts
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Indexes books, journals, and dissertations within the field of political science and related to comparative politics, developing nations, history and theory of political science, political psychology, political economy, public administration, and public policy. [1975 - present]

International in scope.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) This link opens in a new window
Indexes policy briefs, working papers, maps, course packs, journals, books, videos, internet sources, and conference proceedings from research institutes worldwide related to international affairs theory, analysis, and advocacy. [1991 - present]

Also includes links to international affairs Internet sources.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
International journals, magazines, newsletters, regional publications, special reports, and conference proceedings devoted to women's and gender issues. [1970s - present]

Includes magazines, academic journals, newspapers, newsletters, books, pamphlets, conference proceedings, and government reports that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.

Policy Research Organizations

Public Policy Institute of California
Dedicated to improving the quality of public policy decisionmaking in California, the Public Policy Institute of California provides high quality research and broad outreach programs to a wide range of California-specific topics. Data, reports, and surveys on California policy issues can be found here.

Policy Archive
Free, online research library of over 30,000 reports covering public policy across the United States. Browse by subject or search by keyword.

California Research Bureau
Since 1991, the CRB has provided policy analysis on various issues for the Governor, the Legislature, and other state officials.

Blogs for Public Policy

Blogs provide opinions and/or news from a particular agency or organization and breadcrumb link trails to other sites that you may not have already thought about pursuing to develop an area of policy or current events in which you have a focused interest. Here are a few suggested blogs to visit

Rose Report - news and commentary from the the Rose Institute of State and Local Government, Claremont McKenna College.
Capitol Roundup-More provocative daily commentary and links from the editors of Capitol Weekly and AroundtheCapitol.com.
Rough and Tumble-More of a daily news digest than a blog, but extremely useful in tracking the events and people that California's major newspapers are covering.
Calitics-A very irreverent and smart-alecky progressive California politics weblog.

News Resources

Here are some general news and newsmedia databases.

Access World News This link opens in a new window
Full-text information and perspectives from U.S. and international news sources. (America's newspapers - NewsBank - global newsbank)

Provides full-text information and perspectives from over 600 U.S. and over 700 international sources. Offers strong regional coverage, indexing more than California newspapers such as Contra Costa Times (1995-current), Sacramento Bee (1984-current), San Francisco Chronicle (1985-current), and San Jose Mercury News (1985-current). Search categories include: California newspapers (121 titles), Greater Los Angeles (54 titles), major metropolitan titles (13 titles), Spanish-language news sources (48 titles), the World (almost 2000 titles), US (855 titles).
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Text mining of this database is prohibited. Access limited to 49 simultaneous users Provides general and business news and information from more than 9,000 sources in 22 languages, including influential local, national and international newspapers, leading business magazines, trade publications, and news wires.

Includes the exclusive combination of The Wall Street Journal (1979-present), the Financial Times, Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and the Associated Press, as well as Reuters Fundamentals, and Bureau van Dijk company profiles.
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to international, national, local newspapers, and wire services, as well as radio and television transcripts. Database also includes business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. Also includes laws from the U.S., all 50 states, and law reviews. Wide geographic coverage and translations from foreign-language sources, as well as news services like the Associated Press, Agence France Press, El Pai.

Nexis Uni allows users to set up personal accounts to personalize your research experience. Nexis Uni has replaced LexiNexis Academic. [dates vary]
ProQuest Major Daily Newspapers (Historic & Current) This link opens in a new window
Access to national and regional newspapers from across the U.S.

Includes New York Times (full text, Historical, 1881-1985, with Index, 1851-1993 + 1980-current). Los Angeles Times (full text, Historical, 1881-2010 + 1985-current). Wall Street Journal (full text, Historical, 1889-1995 + 1984-current). Chicago Tribune (full text, Historical 1849-2010 + 1895- current). The Washington Post (full text, Historical, 1877-2002, 1987-current). Also indexes the New York Times Magazine (indexed from 1986-current, full text from 1997), the New York Times Book Review (indexed from 1986-current, full text from 1997), and the WSJ: the Wall Street Journal Magazine (full text from 2011-present).
Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
A newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 18th Century. Every issue of each title includes the complete paper-cover-to-cover, with full-page and article images. (New York Times - San Francisco Chronicle - Wall Street Journal - Washington Post - Chicago Defender - Chicago Tribune - Los Angeles Times) [1849 - 2003]

A newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant US newspapers. Our subscription includes access to Chicago Defender (1910-1975); Chicago Tribune (1849-1990); Los Angeles Times (1881-1990); The New York Times (1851-2010) with Index (1851-1993); San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922); The Wall Street Journal (1889-1996); and The Washington Post (1877-1997).
The Times of India This link opens in a new window
The world's most widely circulated English daily newspaper was founded in 1838 to serve British residents of West India. [1838 - 2005]

Today this historical newspaper serves researchers interested in studying colonialism and post-colonialism, British and world history, class and gender issues, international relations, comparative religion, international economics, terrorism, and more.

For a full listing of the Library's news resources, check the drop-down below.

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Public Policy: Find Articles & Reports

Article Databases for Public Policy

Policy Research Organizations

Blogs for Public Policy

News Resources