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The following resources have been compiled by a librarian to help in the research process regarding Public Policies in Social Work.
Reference Books
- Encyclopedia of social work REF 360.973 En019 plus supplements 1997, 2003
- Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups. REF 973.04 H26
- Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America. 2000. REF 305.8 G13v
- Countries and Their Cultures. REF 306.03 C83
- Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. vol. 2 Americas. REF 305.8 W89
- Encyclopedia of Urban Cultures. REF 307.76 En19u
- Encyclopedia of Urban America. REF 307.76 En19
- Encyclopedia of Community. REF 307.3 En19c
- Statistical Abstracts 2009. REF 317 Un4
- Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. REF 301.03
- Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America. REF 361.973 En19h
- Encyclopedia of World Poverty. REF 362.5 El9o
- Encyclopedia of Drugs and Alcohol. REF 362.2 En19
- Encyclopedia of the United States in the 20th Century. REF 973.02 En19
- Encyclopedia of Homelessness. REF 362.5 En39L
- Social Workers’ Desk Reference. REF 973.0468 Ox22
People Group Specific Reference Books
- American Indian religious traditions: an encyclopedia. REF 299.7 C85a
- Encyclopedia Judaica. REF 296.03 En19j
- Encyclopedia of Judaism. REF 296.03 En19n
- African-American Culture and History. REF 973.0496 En19
- Encyclopedia of Black Studies. REF 973.0496 En19a 2005
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States. REF 973.0468 Ox22
Finding News & Current Events
- Library PressDisplay
Daily coverage of major domestic and international newspapers in camera ready format with some translations and audio.
- CQ Researcher
Provides comprehensive reports on current interest topics on social and political issues.
- LexisNexis Academic
Covers current news including New York Times and other major news sources. (For full text and page images of NY Times 1851 - present and Wall Street Journal 1988 - present the Library Home page under Periodicals/Newspapers in the middle of the page.)
Databases covering Social Policy Issues
Finding Government Sites and Documents
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service
NCJRS covers corrections; courts; crime; crime prevention; drugs; justice system; juvenile justice; law enforcement; and victims. Also family violence, gangs, etc. Searchable. See also: FBI Uniform Crime Report
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
BJS covers crime trends; crime and justice data online.
- CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
The CDC has a searchable database of issues concerning a wide variety of public health concerns including birth defects; disabilities; diseases; emergency preparedness and response; environmental health; genetics; injury and violence; travel and international issues; workplace safety and health. The MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) is accessible from the CDC page. Lots of statistical data and charts.
- Census Bureau
The Census Bureau has data on communities; housing; income; poverty; health insurance; population trends. Population, area profiles, and economic indicators are searchable databases. Maps are downloadable.
- FOASTAT
FAOSTAT includes international food security statistics. Sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, this page covers food needs; food consumption; food production and trade; diet; access to food; food aid; child nutritional status; health; poverty; food deprivation.
- FedStats
Advertised as “the gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies.” This is the place to go for statistics. Compare with the print version of Statistical Abstracts.
- FirstGov
“The US government’s official web portal” provides a searchable database for citizens by topic: benefits and grants; consumer guides and protection; defense and international affairs; environment, energy and agriculture; family, home and community; health and nutrition; history, arts and culture; jobs and education; money and taxes; public safety and law; voting and elections and more.
- GPOAccess
Includes free access to full-text government information including Federal Register, Congressional Bills, Congressional Record, CFR, US Code, and Presidential materials. This is the key access point to major legislation and government records.
- United Nations: Dag Hammarskjold Library
Useful for international affairs, immigration issues, global policy.
- US Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Areas of coverage are inflation/consumer spending; wages, earnings, benefits; productivity; safety and health; occupations; employment/unemployment; and industry. Note the link to research papers and NLS (National Longitudinal Surveys). Note: http://stats.bls.gov for recent labor statistics.
- USDA (US Department of Agriculture)
This is the primary governmental site for information on nutrition and agriculture specifically laws and regulations; marketing; research and science; rural and community development. Their searchable database leads to thousands of documents and resources on nutrition.
- Ways and Means, Committee on (US House)
Highlighted because they are one of the major legislative bodies that legislates social welfare issues (social security; Medicare; Medicaid; SSI; child support; child care; child protection; foster care; food stamps; Federal Housing Assistance; school lunch programs; head start. There are data resources available on the elderly; health care expenditures and policies; family; poverty; etc.
Policy and Research Institute Sites
- AARP Policy and Research
This site includes papers and information on topics of interest to seniors: Medicare; health/wellness; long term care; housing, mobility, care options; end-of-life; utilities; frauds and scams; Social Security, financial planning; public assistance; legislation and politics; US economics; family and leisure; work/retirement; technology; demographics, aging trends and statistics. Sponsors three databases: AgeLine; AgeSource Worldwide, and Internet Resources on Aging. Age Line is searchable specifically for public policy documents.
- Almanac of Policy Issues
Covers criminal justice; culture and society; economic issues; education; environment; government operations; health; social welfare; and foreign affairs and national security. This page links to many related sites and articles.
- Center for Health and Wellbeing (Princeton University)
The purpose of the center is “advancing research and teaching on wellbeing, health and health policy.
- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the nation. Issues of interest are: health coverage of the uninsured; health insurance and costs; HIV/AIDS; Medicaid; Medicare; minority health; prescription drugs; state health policy; women’s health; international issues. See also: State Health Facts, a subset of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
- National Bureau of Economic Research
Provides publications and data on major programs such as: aging, children, economics of education, health care/hospitals, health economics, industry, international trade, labor studies, productivity, and public economics. Selected surveys that measure aspects of children’s well being may be found at: http://www.nber.org/~kling/surveys
- Urban Institute
“A nonpartisan economic and social policy research organization” interested in policy issues on crime/justice; economy/taxes; education; health/health care; housing; welfare; work/income; race/ethnicity/gender; children; adolescence; retirees/seniors; immigrants; international issues. This site includes articles and papers on these issues.
Specific Research Projects and Issues Sites
- Center for Immigration Studies
According to the CIS page: "the Center for Immigration Studies is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit research organization, a think tank devoted exclusively to research and policy analysis of the economic, social, demographic, fiscal, and other impacts of immigration on the United States." There are numerous reports, papers, and documents housed on this site.
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
“The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. The Center 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. We also develop policy options to alleviate poverty, particularly among working families.” -- excerpted from the CPBB web site
- Civil Rights Project
The Civil Rights Project web site states: “Our mission is to help renew the civil rights movement by bridging the worlds of ideas and action, and by becoming a preeminent source of intellectual capital and a forum for building consensus within that movement.” They “focus on education reform, have convened dozens of national conferences and roundtables; commissioned over 300 new research and policy studies; produced major reports on desegregation, student diversity, school discipline, special education, dropouts, and Title I programs; and published books. CRP has also initiated joint projects across disciplinary and institutional lines at universities, advocacy organizations, and think tanks throughout the country.
- Economic Policy Institute
“The Economic Policy Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that seeks to broaden the public debate about strategies to achieve a prosperous and fair economy. …The mission of the Economic Policy Institute is to provide high-quality research and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair, and sustainable economy. The Institute stresses real world analysis and a concern for the living standards of working people.” -- excerpted from the EPI site
- Federation for American Immigration Reform
This non-profit organization is concerned with immigration reform. There are numerous up-to-date items about policy and legislation accessible from their web site.
- The Finance Project
Formerly called Welfare Information Network, The Finance Project is a clearinghouse of information and resources about policy and programs for low-income and working poor families. Included are topics on welfare, workforce, and support systems and services. The define themselves as “a specialized non-profit research, consulting, technical assistance and training firm for public and private sector leaders nationwide, helping leaders make smart investment decisions, develop sound financing strategies, and build solid partnerships that benefit children, families and communities.” -- excerpted from the Finance Project site
- Harvard Inequality and Social Policy
Based at the Kennedy School of Government, the web site provides research resources on social policy issues (others within the Harvard University system) and includes links to other academic research centers; data sources; and policy research organizations and non profits.
- Institute for Research on Poverty
IRP, one of three Area Poverty Research Centers sponsored by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, is a center for interdisciplinary research into the causes and consequences of poverty and social inequality in the United States. Areas of study are the Midwest; welfare reform; child support; wages and working conditions; health issues; nutrition; and inequality.
- Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
“ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction, and offers training in quantitative methods to facilitate effective data use. To ensure that data resources are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR preserves data, migrating them to new storage media as changes in technology warrant. In addition, ICPSR provides user support to assist researchers in identifying relevant data for analysis and in conducting their research projects.” -- excerpted from the ICPSR site
- Joint Center for Poverty Research
“A national, interdisciplinary academic research center on poverty research specifically on the causes and consequences of poverty and the resulting policy implications, this site includes publications, information clearinghouses, and links to information on poverty." -- excerpted from the JCPR site
- National Poverty Center
“The National Poverty Center, established in the fall of 2002, is a university-based, nonpartisan research center, conducting and promoting multidisciplinary, policy-relevant research on the causes and consequences of poverty and providing mentoring and training to young scholars.” -- excerpted from the NPC site
- Society for Research in Child Development
Includes the full text of Social Policy Report.
- Welfare, Children, and Families: A three city study
Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University, this site provides documents on the research project conducted in Boston, Chicago and San Antonio to evaluate the consequences of welfare reform on the well being of children and their families.
Professional Organizations
Ask-A-Librarian for more information
Created by Linda Lambert, Instructional Services Librarian
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