SW 520 Social Welfare Policy: Policy & Advocacy Groups
Think Tank Search & Policy Commons
Think tanks are institutions or organizations that are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, non-governmental organizations, and businesses that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. (Harvard Kennedy School, Library & Knowledge Services)
Policy Commons searches across millions of think tank and government agency reports, and is a bit more international in scope than Think Tank Search.
Searching both is highly recommended.
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Think Tank SearchThink Tank Search is a custom Google search of over 690 think tank websites.
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Policy Commons This link opens in a new windowProvides indexed access to government grey literature and reports from national and international governmental agencies.
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Policy Commons Cities This link opens in a new windowContains reports generated by local government agencies, civic organizations, and metropolitan and regional planning agencies for major cities in the United States and Canada.
National Research and Advocacy Groups
Here are a few selected national think tanks/research institutes that work in areas relevant to social welfare:
- Annie E. Casey Foundation (neutral)
- Cato Institute (conservative leaning)
- Center for American Progress (liberal leaning)
- Center for Responsive Politics (neutral)
- Center for the Study of Social Policy (liberal leaning)
- Heritage Foundation (conservative leaning)
- Pew Research Center (neutral)
- RAND Corporation (neutral)
- Urban Institute (liberal leaning)
Oregon Research and Advocacy Groups
- Oregon Center for Public Policy (liberal leaning)
- Cascade Policy Institute (conservative/libertarian leaning)
- Western States Center (liberal leaning)
Need More?
If you are looking for research and advocacy organizations in other states or local areas, Google is your best bet. Just be sure to view the websites with a critical eye and determine how legitimate they are. For example, does the organization list their staff and their creditials? Do their reports have scholarly references or do they just cite themselves or popular media?