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Social Policy

An overview of databases and resources that provide governmental information and resources related to policy

Thinking about Policy

"Social policy is how a society responds to social problems. Any government enactment that affects the well-being of people, including laws, regulations, executive orders, and court decisions, is a social policy. In the United States, with its federal tradition of shared government, social policies are made by governments at many levels—local, state, and national." (Herrick, 2014)

Herrick, J.  (2014, June 02). Social Policy: Overview. Encyclopedia of Social Work. Ed.   Retrieved 29 Aug. 2018, from http://socialwork.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.001.0001/acrefore-9780199975839-e-607.

  • Think about the type of policy you want to research and what course of action was taken to resolve the social issue?
  • Have the policies been the outcome of a law; executive order; court case; regulation; something else?
  • What influenced the formation of these policies?

FIRST, GATHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT SOCIAL TRENDS, LAWS, CASES, & ISSUES

Search Tip

For government-related research, searching within a government domain may be useful. Within a Google search box type  the Topic site:.gov (and in some cases organizational sites may be useful site:.org). You can also find these options with Google's Advanced Search options

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