Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
Helen Sheehy
Title: Head Social Sciences Library
Subject Specialist:
Law, Political Science, International Affairs
814-863-1347
e-mail: hms2@psu.edu
If you need help deciding what to research try this:
CQ Researcher [Penn State Libraries]
covers many topics of current interest. Click on Browse by Topic to see subjects covered.
Scan a newspaper for ideas
Pick up a News Magazine such as Time or Newsweek
Note: [Penn State Libraries] indicates a Libraries' resource available to researchers with a Penn State Access Account.
Tracing how well a piece of legislation has met its objective and what its unintended consequences have been is a multi-tiered project.
The resources below will step you through that process:
Begin by reading some background information on your topic. The sources listed under Policy Development will provide that background and talk about specific laws.
Identify a public law that you want to explore and note its number (e.g.> P.L. 209-58) and the date it was passed.
Next go to the CQ Electronic Library [Penn State Libraries] and use the CQ Almanac and CQ Weekly to get more information on the law's provisions and Congress' discussions when it was considering the law.
Trace the law's legislative history:
Use ProQuest Congressional [Penn State Libraries]. Click on Legislative Histories in the left column, choose Get a Document and type in the law's number.
Look for committee reports and hearings, as well as congressional debate to determine the intent. These documents comprise the legislative history.
Determine the outcomes. Use the resources below under Outcomes:
Look at government reports from the GAO [Government Accountability Office] or other government agencies involved in administering the law
Look for journal articles about the issue
If the issue is very current, try the Libraries' News and Newspaper Sources research guide as well
Hint: these resources outline the issues as well as talk about the potential solutions. Some will also provide legislative histories.
Policy File [Penn State Libraries]
Public policy research and analysis database that is a clearinghouse for locating information from think tanks and interest groups. A good place to find pro/con discussion, but keep in mind that many of these organizations may have a partisan point of view.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports [Penn State Libraries]
Reports prepared for the use of congressional committees as they are studying possible new legislation or government programs. They also sometimes provide histories of legislation and discussion of how well legislation has achieved its stated purpose. Very non-partisan and objective in their analysis.
Congressional Budget Office [CBO]
The CBO publishes studies of the economic effects of many government programs and policies.
Hint: Use the CQ Electronic Library resources and the National Journal to identify a public law. Note the Public Law number and use that number to search the legislative histories in LexisNexis Congressional.
CQ Electronic Library [Penn State Libraries]
Use the following databases within the CQ Electronic Library to identify a federal law to research.
CQ Almanac
similar to Congress and the Nation, but more detailed and issued on an annual basis. Good for determining the rationale behind passing legislation.
CQ Weekly
the Time or Newsweek of Congress. Detailed coverage of legislative activities.
Congressional [ProQuest] [Penn State Libraries]
Once you have identified a Public Law, search the Legislative Histories section of ProQuest Congressional. Look particularly for the House/Senate/Conference Reports which will give in-depth information about the legislative intent. Hearings may also be helpful. Most of these will be full-text in the database.
National Journal [Penn State Libraries]
similar to CQ Weekly above but also covers the executive branch.
GAO Reports
The GAO [Government Accountability Office] is charged with monitoring the effectiveness of government programs and regularly publishing reports on program outcomes.
Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports [Penn State Libraries]
Reports prepared for the use of congressional committee members as they are studying possible new legislation or government programs. They also sometimes provide histories of legislation and discussion of how well legislation has achieved its stated purpose.
Look for articles by scholars that discuss the results of government policies.
EconLit [Penn State Libraries]
The best index for scholarly literature in the field of economics
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts [Penn State Libraries]
The best index for scholarly articles in Political Science
ProQuest [Penn State Libraries]
A more general database that also carries news content that may be helpful.
Explore government agency Web sites for publications about your topics. Use USA.gov as a starting point
Search The CAT for books and other government reports in the Penn State University Libraries collections
