Guides: Social Policy: Advocacy, Think Tanks, & Policy Briefs

Policy Briefs & Policy-Related Reports

There are two types of policy briefs: an advocacy brief (arguing for a course of action) and an objective brief (provides an informative overview on an issue). Policy briefs are created to provide brief evidence-based overviews and convincing information that urge the reader to make a decision on a particular issue. Use these links to locate policy briefs and policy-related reports. For a guide on how to write your own policy brief refer to this document link, Writing Effective Reports, offered by the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Policy Commons
Policy Commons is a one-stop community platform for objective, fact-based research from the world's leading policy experts, nonpartisan think tanks, IGOs and NGOs. They treat think-tank publications as a formal body of literature in its own right, with tools to systematically search it, cite it, understand its impact, catalog it, and preserve it for the long term. Now includes archived content from defunct Policy Archive.
Public Policy Research Think Tanks Report
The Global Go-To Think Tanks Report is a comprehensive ranking of the leading think tanks worldwide. The annual report is written by Professor James McGann, director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

PolicyFile
Indexing with abstracts of U.S. and foreign domestic and international public policy research literature.

Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
Covers theory and research in international affairs. Search for policy briefs related to a range of social issues
PAIS (Public Affairs Information Service)
Indexes articles, books, documents on policy and matters of governmental decision making. Indexes published material from most of the 20th and 21st century.
Human Rights Documents Online
Online fulltext access to "more than 77,000 documents from nongovernmental human rights organizations (NGOs) such as Arab Organization for Human Rights, Central American Association of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared, Association of African Women for Research and Development, The World Health Organization (WHO), and over 700 others worldwide….This collection of “grey literature”… and other primary source material has been collected since 1980 by Human Rights Internet and includes select documents back to 1967." -- resource intro

Public Sites for Seeking Policy-Related Reports & Publications

IssueLab.org
Review social sector's policy research, see publications, reports from various socially-focused organizations and nonprofits
Social Work Policy Institute
Examines issues that relate to the work of social workers, including how to serve people who have multiple or complex needs and how public agencies and other structures deliver health and human services.

A Sampling of Think Tanks & Relevant Organizations

Be sure to read the think tank's mission and objectives; they may have certain biases or goals.

Rand Corporation
A research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges. See also their research reports.
Brookings Institute
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Their mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
A nonpartisan research and policy institute. They pursue federal and state policies designed both to reduce poverty and inequality and to restore fiscal responsibility.
Kaiser Family Foundation
A non-profit organization focusing on national health issues, as well as the U.S. role in global health policy.
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
A national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing policy solutions for low-income people
Urban Institute
Gathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government.
Pew Research Center
A nonpartisan fact tank that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world
Heritage Foundation
A research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies
CATO Institute
A public policy research organization — a think tank — dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace
Guttmacher Institute
Overarching goal is to ensure the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health for all people worldwide
National Partnership for Women & Families
Numerous issue briefs and policy metrics on topics of reproductive rights, health policy, and workplace equity

Think Tanks, Research Centers, and Impact

Use Policy Commons to find when major think tanks or research centers are mentioned in policy documents.

Go to the Policy Commons Home page and click the Organization tab at the top of the page
Enter the organization name in the Search box
Select your organization from the result list to look at its profile page
Scroll down to the bottom of the profile page to see the Impact Data section, which is interactive.