Social and public policy government publications resources san jose state university

INTRODUCTION

This handout provides information regarding resources of importance to persons interested in researching social and public policy. Both social and public policy can be effectively researched in government resources. The resources are listed according to the three branches of government – legislative, executive, and judicial. Some resources may be restricted to use by students, faculty and staff of SJSU. The terms, bills and legislation, are used interchangeably in this guide.
The following paragraphs give a brief introduction to “policy”.
POLICY

This is the most general term, as it can deal with business, society, government, an organization, etc. A policy is an overall plan embracing general goals and acceptable procedures.

This is a more specific term. It deals with issues found in society and can be based on customs, laws, or ideas of various groups. Social policies allocate resources in society-at-large and in local communities as government(s) collectively seeks enduring solutions to the problems that affect them. Such policies frequently cut across the entire society and economy. Social policy is expressed in laws, policies, and practices that affect the social relationships of individuals and their relationship to the society of which they are a part. Some examples of social policy are the 1960’s Great Society goal to eliminate poverty, the 1995 Republican “Contract with America” goal of replacing federal programs with state and private solutions, and the need for a social service “safety net” for all.

This is the most specific term. It is social policy which has been incorporated in an official and legal form of some sort. In the broadest sense, public policy is whatever a government decided to do or not to do, to deal with a particular problem or concern. In a democracy, these official policies are based on the will of the majority. More specifically, public policy is a set of decisions by government concerning the selection of goals and the methods of attaining them, within a specified situation. These may be expressed in a variety of forms including legislation/laws, local ordinances, regulations, executive orders, court decisions, or decisions of administrators. Examples of public policies are affirmative action hiring goals, Medicare, gun control, the clean-up of toxic sites by industry, subsidized day care, and the WIC (women, Infants, and Children) Program.

Internet site: http://thomas.loc.gov/

Internet site: http://uscode.house.gov/search/criteria.shtml

Internet site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/statutes/index.html

Internet site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html

Internet site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html

Published twice a year, summarizes the rules and proposed rules that each Federal agency expects to issue during the next six months.

J 83.M66x – index to print and electronic publications of federal agencies

Internet site: http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 1965 – present (Periodicals J 80.A284)

Internet site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html

Internet site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/index.html

(1991 – Present)
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance – King 2^nd Floor reference HC 110.P63.U53a

Internet site: http://www.cfda.gov

Statutes of California – King 2^nd Floor Reference KFC 25.C3

Internet site: http://leginfo.ca.gov/statute.html
Bills of California

Internet site: http://leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html

Internet site: http://ccr.oal.ca.gov/

is responsible for making fiscal projections on proposed legislation, develop population estimates and projections, and develop economic forecasts for the state. It is at this site that you will find full text the California Statistical Abstract, County Profiles, Economic Indicators for the state and other data of importance to projecting the economy of the state.

provides research papers on public policy issues that affect each state. On their homepage they link to policy priorities which alert legislators on hot issues and research provided for these issues.

provides to several new services online: the American Community Survey and the American Fact Finder. Starting in August, 2006, the American Community Survey (ACS) is now providing estimates of demographic, housing, social, and economic characteristics every year for all states, as well as for all cities, counties, metropolitan areas, and populations groups of 65,000 people or more. The ACS has provided sample studies for each state. In California, San Francisco County is given. The American Fact Finder will be taking data from the various Census departments and posting the Census 2000 data at this site. The difference between ACS and Fact Finder is that Fact Finder has a more inclusive, larger statistical database.

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is a private, nonprofit organization that provides independent, objective, nonpartisan research on public policy in California.

The California Policy Review examines topic relevant for the public policy community in California and is written by authors from universities, think tanks and government agencies. Each issue addresses a single subject by exploring an emerging policy concern, distilling key research findings, or considering the trade-offs among policy options. The California Policy Review is published by the SPHERE Institute and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.

and California Statistical Abstract http://www.dof.ca.gov/HTML/FS_DATA/STAT-ABS/Statistical_Abstract.asp

2/19/07 developed by Sue Kendall