Library Guides: PLSC 387: Applied Skills in Political Science: Library Resources

Here you will find links to library databases, journals, print books, e-books, and search tips relevant to social policy research.

Subject Databases

Library databases are subject-specific indexes of the scholarly literature. In other words, they act as a directory to research articles published across thousands of research journals (incl. peer-reviewed journals) and other publications. Many articles are available in full-text within the databases themselves, but others must be accessed through other library subscriptions or interlibrary loan.

Use the "Find It" button to locate digital articles in Western Libraries collection.
Set-up your ILLiad interlibrary loan account BEFORE searching databases to ensure more seamless access to electronic articles.

Annual Reviews
A database of articles covering significant yearly developments in biomedical, physical, and social sciences.
Tip: When full text is not available, use Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad).
CQ Researcher [CQ Press / Sage]
A resource for in-depth coverage of political and social issues, written by experienced journalists.
Published 44 times a year, each 12,000-word report includes a background and chronology, an assessment of the current situation, tables and maps, statements from representatives of opposing viewpoints, and bibliographies of key sources. Topics include health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
HeinOnline
A database of historical and government documents, including complete coverage of 2,600 law-related periodicals.
Includes the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports back to 1754, treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. presidents, and other topics.
Nexis Uni (formerly Lexis-Nexis)
A database of publications in reference, business, medicine and law. Includes newspapers, legal cases, law reviews, and company profiles.
Social Sciences Databases [ProQuest]
A multi-database search tool combining all the ProQuest social sciences databases.

Scholarly Journals

Policy Sciences
With an interdisciplinary and international focus, the journal offers articles that examine the normative aspects of policy sciences; conceptual articles addressing concrete policy issues; articles on particularly controversial pieces of analysis; opposing perspectives, including critiques and rejoinders on articles already published
Policy Studies Journal
Published on behalf of the Policy Studies Organization (PSO) and the American Political Science Association’s (APSA), this journal focuses on the development and refinement of public policy theory.
Politics & Policy
Politics & Policy is a peer-reviewed journal of rigorous original research of an international, comparative nature as it applies to public policy and its political implications. It seeks to bring together contemporary politics and policy research from a variety of disciplines and international perspectives.
Science and Public Policy
Science and Public Policy is a leading international journal on public policies for science, technology and innovation. It covers all types of science and technology in both developed and developing countries.
Social Policy & Administration
International in scope, the journal seeks to engender debate about topical and controversial issues.

OneSearch Tips

OneSearch is the libraries' primary discovery tool. It aggregates physical materials at Western Libraries and Summit Libraries across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Additionally, you can use OneSearch to locate electronic resources available through WWU subscriptions and databases. Below are some subject terms to help you get started:

United States--Social Policy
Government Policy
Public Welfare
Medical Policy--United States
Public Welfare--United States
Housing Policy--United States
Expenditures, Public
Education and State--United States
Social Justice--United States
Social Services, welfare & criminology
Social Service
Economic Policy
Equality--United States

OneSearch
Western Libraries online catalog of books, e-books, videos, articles, digital media, and more.

Print & E-Books

The Affordable City by Shane Phillips
ISBN: 1642831336
Publication Date: 2020
From Los Angeles to Boston and Chicago to Miami, US cities are struggling to address the twin crises of high housing costs and household instability.The Affordable City offers readers more than 50 policy recommendations, beginning with a set of principles and general recommendations that should apply to all housing policy.
Building Better Social Programs by David Stoesz
ISBN: 9780190945572
Publication Date: 2020
Building Better Social Programs situates evidence-based policymaking with respect to the welfare state, describes key organizations driving the evidence-based movement, and proposes innovations designed to extend benefits to the working class.
The Commercial Determinants of Health by Nason Maani et. al.
ISBN: 9780197578759
Publication Date: 2022
An accessible multidisciplinary overview for anyone seeking to understand the commercial determinants of health.
Ending Mass Incarceration by Katherine Beckett
ISBN: 9780197536575
Publication Date: 2022
Ending Mass Incarceration provides a cogent analysis of the dynamics working to sustain mass incarceration, the reforms that have been attempted to date, and the reforms we need to bring about truly transformative change.
The One-Way Street of Integration by Edward G. Goetz
ISBN: 1501707590
Publication Date: 2018
The One-Way Street of Integration examines two contrasting housing policy approaches to achieving racial justice: integration initiatives and community development efforts. Goetz traces the tensions involved in housing integration and policy to show why he doesn't see the solution to racial injustice as the government moving poor and nonwhite people out of their communities.
Orange-Collar Labor by Michael Gibson-Light
ISBN: 9780190055400
Publication Date: 2022
A critical and cutting-edge examination of modern prison labor.
The Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities by Paula Braveman
ISBN: 9780190624118
Publication Date: 2023
A growing body of knowledge has revealed the profound impact of the social determinants of health--the social, political, and economic factors apart from health care that influence health. The question is no longer if social factors are important influences on health, but rather how social factors operate and how to address them most effectively, efficiently, and equitably.
Social Policy and Social Justice by John L. Jackson Jr. (Editor)
ISBN: 1512821462
Publication Date: 2017
The Penn School of Social Policy and Practice enjoys a reputation as Penn's social justice school, for its faculty actively strives to translate the highest ideals into workable programs that better people's lives. This volume showcases the judgment and commitment of the school's scholars and practitioners, working to change politics from blood sport to common undertakings.
United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality by Diana Furchtgott-Roth (Editor)
ISBN: 0197518192
Publication Date: 2020
Over the past 75 years, household income in the United States has increased substantially. Still, by some measures, income inequality has increased as well. This has been the subject of contested public policy and political discourse. The question still stands: How can we better articulate the nuanced changes in American incomes?
Who Cares by Christopher Howard
ISBN: 9780190074456
Publication Date: 2022
The first comprehensive map of the social safety net, public and private, in the United States.
The Wiley Handbook on What Works with Girls and Women in Conflict with the Law by Shelley L. Brown (Editor) et. al.
ISBN: 9781119576846
Publication Date: 2022
What Works with Girls and Women in Conflict with the Law is the leading examination of evidence-based practice in the field of gender-responsive corrections. Adopting an international and intersectional approach, the distinguished authors seek to collect the best available data and thinking on what works with girls and women and apply it to the real-world problems facing correctional systems today.