Political Science / Public Policy Resources   Tags: government, laws, policy, political science, public opinion, think tanks  

Welcome to the Political Science / Public Policy Resources Research Guide. Here you will find general information about locating resources on Political Science and Public Policy in the MSU Libraries and beyond. Note the many tabs at the top of the page. Click on the appropriate tab for more information. Some items are duplicated in more than one location.

The Political Science / Public Policy Resources Library Guide page was developed by Jon Harrison, now the social sciences collection coordinator.  In 2012 primary responsibility for the page was turned over to Terry Link, the new political sciences and public policy selector.

Browsing for items in the stacks can unearth gems otherwise missed. Below is an abbreviated guide for browsing topics in the field of political science.

Africa - Gov't            JQ 1870-3891

Asia - Gov't              JQ 1-1869

Balance of Powers     JF 229

Citizenship               JF 801, JK 1756 (U.S.)

Civil/Political Rights   JC 571, JF 799+, JK 1717 (U.S.)

Comparative Gov't     JF 5.2

Conservatism            JC 573

Democracy                JC 421+

Diplomacy                 JX 1621

Elections                   JF 1001+, JK 1856+ (U.S.)

Espionage                 JK 468 .I6 (U.S.)

Europe - Gov't           JN

European Union         JN 26

Fascism                    JC 481

Foreign Policy            JX 232

Freedom of Information  JC 598

Freedom of the Press    JC 593, Z 657-659

Freedom of Speech       JC 591

Immigration                 JV 6001+

International relations   JX 1226+

Legislative process        JF 375.2, JF 515+

Lobbying                      JF 529, JK 1118 (U.S.)

Local/Municipal Gov't     JS

       Detroit                  JS 831-849

Nationalism                  JC 311+

Michigan Gov't              JK 5801-5893

Minority Rights             JC 312

Patriotism                   JC 329

Political parties            JF 2011+, JK 2255 (U.S.)

Political theory             JC 11+

Power                         JC 330, HN 49.P6

Privacy rights               JC 596+

Property rights             JC 605, JX 4085

Refugees                    JX 1975.8+, JX 4294.R4

United Nations             JX 1976-1978

Voting                        JF 1001+, JK 1961 (U.S.)

Confused? 

Try the MSU Library Ask a Librarian Service available via chat, IM, email, phone, and in person at the reference desk.

Political Science is the study of governments, public policies and political processes, systems, and political behavior.  Political science subfields include political theory, political philosophy, political ideology,  political economy, policy studies and analysis, comparative politics, international relations, and a host of related fields.  (For a good cross section of the areas of study, see the list of APSA Organized Sections.)  Political scientists use both humanistic and scientific perspectives and tools and a variety of methodological approaches to examine the process, systems, and political dynamics of all countries and regions of the world. (American Political Science Association).

MSU Department of Political Science
http://polisci.msu.edu/
Describes undergraduate and graduate programs at Michigan State University. Lists faculty members, their academic interests and recent publications. Also includes the full text of some departmental publications.

MSU James Madison College
http://www.jmc.msu.edu/
James Madison College provides liberal education in public affairs for undergraduates.

MSU Institute for Public Policy and Social Research
http://www.ippsr.msu.edu/
The nonpartisan public policy network at Michigan State University. Our staff is dedicated to connecting legislators, scholars, and practitioners through applied research, lively policy forums, and political leadership instruction.

MSU Peace and Justice Studies Program
http://peacejustice.msu.edu/
A flexible, multidisciplinary program designed to complement any undergraduate major. Its primary objective is to encourage students to think critically about violence, its causes, consequences, and alternatives both at home and abroad.  Check out a separate Peace and Justice Studies Library Guide.

MSU Experts Database
http://news.msu.edu/experts/

Searchable database of MSU faculty including political science and public policy experts.

Associations Unlimited.  Looking for political science or public policy associations?  MSU faculty and staff can search this database.  There are currently 50 listed under political science; 259 listed under politics; 19 under policy; nd 173 listed under public policy.  You are free to search for other groupings as well.

Here are some links to more popular ones in the areas of political science and public administration:

American Political Science Association Online (APSANet)
http://www.apsanet.org/
The APSA is the major professional society for individuals engaged in the study of politics and government. APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions, and occupational endeavors. The web site features:

American Society for Public Administration
http://www.aspanet.org/
The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), established in 1939, is the largest and most prominent professional association in the field of public administration. 

International Political Science Association
http://www.ipsa.org/site/
Contains links to national political science associations and a description of International Political Science Abstracts which the association publishes.

Midwest Political Science Association
http://www.mpsanet.org/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
The Midwest Political Science Association is a national organization of political science professors, teachers, students, and public administrators founded in 1939. The association is dedicated to the advancement of scholarly communication in all areas of political science. Each year the association sponsors a three-day conference of political scientists in Chicago for the purpose of presenting and discussing the latest research in political science. More than 2,100 individuals participate in this conference, which features more than 325 panels and programs on politics. In addition to information about the association's conference, the web site also provides information about the American Journal of Political Science as well as a table of contents service.

Society for Political Methodology/APSA Political Methodology Section
http://polmeth.wustl.edu/
The primary purpose of this site is to serve as the gateway to the Electronic Paper Archive. From here you can view abstacts of conference and working papers online and download papers for local printing. This is also the gateway to The Political Methodologist, our newsletter, and Political Analysis, the official journal of the section. Much of the work we do relies upon the use of mathematical and statistical software, so this site also includes links to useful Computing resources. Political methodology focuses on the analysis of empirical data, so we also provide replication data sets and example data sets from published and unpublished work on the Research and Teaching page.

Confused? 

Try the MSU Library Ask a Librarian Service available via chat, IM, email, phone, and in person at the reference desk.