Political Science & Government

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Specialized Background Resources

Worldwide

Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Institutions JA61 B56 1987 Main Ref.
This is a good source for looking for concepts in the discussion of government and politics. Each concept also includes further readings. This source includes entries on leading political scientists in the past.

Blackwell Encyclopedia of Political Thought JA61 B57 1987 Main Ref. Also available online on NetLibrary from Sabio.
Includes major ideas and doctrines that influence the contemporary world. It outlines the thought of leading political theorists, past and present, and considers the ways in which thinking about politics has evolved historically.

Charter of the United Nations JX 1977 G65 1969 Main Ref.

The Concise Conservative Encyclopedia JC 573 M56 1996 Main Ref.

Dictionary of Modern Politics JA61 R63 1985b Main Ref.

Dictionary of Political Analysis JA 61 P57 1982 Main Ref.

Encyclopedia of United Nations JX1977 O8213 1985 Main Ref.

Political Parties of the World JF2051 D39 1996 Main Ref.

Safire's New Political Dictionary: The Definitive Guide to the New Language of Politics JK9 S2 1993 Main Ref.

Women and Politics Worldwide HQ1236 W6363 1994 Main Ref.
Descriptive chapters about the role and place of women n forty-three countries.

World Encyclopedia of Peace JX1952 W63 1986 (4 volumes) Main Ref.

World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties JF2011 W67 1987 (2 volumes) Main Ref.

World Treaty Index JX171 R63 1983 (5 volumes) Main Ref.

Europe

Great Soviet Encyclopedia AE55.B6233 Main
Translation of the Soviet national encyclopedia.

ISI Emerging Markets
Provides current news and business information from Eastern Europe in English, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Turkish, Hungarian, Latvian, Bulgarian, Romanian and Ukrainian.

Modern Encyclopedia of Russia and Soviet History DK14.M6 Main Ref.
This major work began in 1976 and the last volume was published in 1993 (annual supplements have followed). It reproduces in English information contained in standard Russian reference sources.

Political and Economical Encyclopedia of Western Europe JN94 A2 P6 1990 Main Ref.

Latin America

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean F1406.C36 1992 Main Ref.
Contains sections on the physical environment, economy, people, history, politics, society, and culture.

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture F1406 .E53 1996 Info Commons Ref.
Concise reference book offering authoritative information on the history, economy, politics, arts, and other aspects of Latin America.

HAPI - Hispanic American Periodicals Index
Contains citations to articles about U.S.-Hispanic and Latin American topics. Articles may be in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish from more than 350 scholarly journals worldwide. Also includes book reviews and drama and film reviews. HAPI links to some full-text articles.

HLAS, Handbook of Latin American Studies Z1605 H23 Main Ref.
Annual. Volumes alternate: one year Social Sciences, the next, Humanities. Excellent traditional source for books and periodicals on Latin America. Subject index gives access to books and articles.

Asia

Cambridge Encyclopedia of China DS705.C35 1991 Main Ref.
General overview of China, with sections on land and resources, people, society, the continuity of China, the mind and senses of China, art and architecture, and science and technology.

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan DS805.C36 1993 Main Ref.
General overview of Japan, with sections on geography, history, language and literature, thought and religion, arts and crafts, society, politics, and economy.

Africa & Middle East

Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa DT3.C35 Main Ref.
This work in somewhat dated (published in 1981) but provides a good overview of the African continent.

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East DS43.E53 1996 Main Ref.
Encompasses the interaction of political, historical, social, economic, and cultural movements as well as relevant people, places, and events.

Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa DT729.S7 Main Ref.
This regional encyclopedia concentrates on the Republic of South Africa but does contain information on its immediate neighbors and has special sections on Angola, the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

United States

The Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates E174.5.C3 1997 Main Ref.
A good source for what happened on what date in American History.

Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy: Studies of the Principal movements and ideas JX1407 E53 (3 volumes) Main Ref.

The United States Government Manual JK 421 A3 (latest in Main Ref. also available on Internet from GPO Access)
Provides comprehensive information on agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.

United States Treaties and Other International Agreements JX231 K4 (4 volumes) and Supplements (JX231 K68) Main Ref. See also Hein Online

Presidency

American Presidency Project
The project provides access to all public presidential papers during the years 1929-2001 (Presidents Hoover through Clinton). The Public Papers of the Presidents series consists of public speeches, press conferences, official statements, and the like. All public statements by President George W. Bush are available through the official White House site.

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to the Presidency JK516 C57 1996 (2 volumes) Main Ref.

Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States From George Washington 1789 to George Bush 1989 J81 C89 1989 Main Ref.

Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States From Glover Cleveland (1885) to George Bush 2001 J81 C892 2001 (volume 2) Main Ref.

Presidential Elections Since 1789 JK524 P68 1987 Main Ref.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States AE2.114 Government Documents

The State of the Union Messages of the Presidents, 1790-1966 J81 C66 (3 volumes) Main Ref.

Vital Statistics on the Presidency: Washington to Clinton JK518 R34 1998 Main Ref. Also also available on NetLibrary (e-book)

Congress

Almanac of American Politics JK8 A4 (latest in Info Commons)

The Encyclopedia of the Democratic Party JK2312 E55 (4 volumes) Main Ref.

The Encyclopedia of the United States Congress JK1067 E63 1995 (4 volumes) Main Ref.

Politics in America JK1010 P64 latest edition in Information Commons Reference

Congressional Districts in the 1990s: A Portrait of America JK1341 C64 Info Commons

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The U.S. Freedom of Information Act is a law ensuring public access to U.S. government records. Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA. This right of access is ultimately enforceable in federal court. The National Security Archive has an excellent page, How to Make a FOIA Request. There is also the Citizen's Guide to Using the Freedom of Information Act [PDF] published by the U.S. Congress.

Elections & Voting

Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections JK1967 C662, 1985, 1994, 2001 Main Ref.

Dictionary of Polling: The Language of Contemporary Opinion Research HM261 Y684 1992 Main Ref.

Electoral Systems and Party Systems: A Study of Twenty-Seven Democracies, 1945-1990 JF1001 L54 1994 Main

The Superpollsters: How They Measure and Manipulate Public Opinion in America HN90 P8 M66 1995 Main

The Voter's Guide to Election Polls HN90 P8 T73 2004 Main

Political Parties

Encyclopedia of Third Parties in the United States JK2261 K78 1991 Main Ref.

Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989 G1201 F9 M26 1989 Map Collection

National Party Conventions, 1831-1992 JK2255 N376 1995 Main

National Party Platforms of 1980. Supplement to National Party Platforms, 1840-1976 JK2255 J643 Main Ref.

Political Parties and Elections in the United States: An Encyclopedia JK2261 P633 1991 (2 vols) Main Ref.

International Relations

Center for Corporate Policy
The Center for Corporate Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest organization working to curb corporate abuses and make corporations publicly accountable.

Center for Public Integrity
The Center for Public Integrity is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization that conducts investigative research and reporting on public policy issues in the United States and around the world.

Center for Responsive Politics - Opensecrets.org
The Center for Responsive Politics is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. The center conducts computer-based research on campaign finance issues for the news media, academics, activists, and the public at large. The center’s work is aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government.

Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI)
The Central Intelligence Agency has published and placed on its website a series of declassified intelligence documents from the Cold War era.

CorpWatch
CorpWatch educates and mobilizes people on corporate globalization through networking, activism on various campaigns, and a vast array of resources available on its website.

FBI's Electronic Reading Room
Contains substantial materials pertaining to U.S. foreign policy.

Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is available full text from the original date of publication, via Proquest (click here for 1923-85; click here for 1986 to present).

Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series
Huge collection of declassified documents from multiple agencies, which is edited and published by the Office of the Historian of the U.S. State Department. The series begins in 1861; the most recent volumes contain documents from the early 1970s. The complete series comprises many hundreds of volumes (for a complete list of all FRUS volumes, click here).

Another source on intelligence matters is a special volume of the FRUS series, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment, 1945-1950, published in 1996.

National Institute on Money in State Politics
A national nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to accurate, comprehensive and unbiased documentation and research on campaign finance at the state level. The institute develops searchable databases, makes them available to the public online, and analyzes the information to determine the role campaign money plays in public policy debates in the states. The institute also publishes studies and provides technical assistance and resources to reporters, academic researchers, and state groups that work on campaign-finance issues.

National Security Archive
The George Washington University's National Security Archive works to secure declassification of documents through persistent use of the Freedom of Information Act. The Digital National Security Archive, intelligence, and covert operations seem to be a special strength of these collections.

Project On Government Oversight
The nonprofit Project On Government Oversight is committed to exposing waste, fraud and corruption in the following areas: defense, energy and the environment, contract oversight, and open government.

Project on Government Secrecy
Through research, advocacy, and public education, the Federation of American Scientists' Project on Government Secrecy works to challenge excessive government secrecy and to promote public oversight.

State Department's Electronic Reading Room
Has full-text links to declassified documents on a number of subjects, especially pertaining to U.S. intervention in Latin America.

Television News Archive
Vanderbilt's archive includes broadcasts from the major networks (along with Fox and CNN). Most of the broadcasts go back as far as 1968.

The Wall Street Journal
Access to The Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition, is available (1984 to present) through Proquest.