The Council of State Government has for 75 years worked to connect states' policy makers with each other and help them share ideas, innovations, and solutions to complex issues. Much of this site is for a targeted policy‐making population – meeting and seminar announcements, events, programmes – but the other information is easily accessible and timely and offers vital data and analysis for students everywhere.
Besides the legislators and their staff, CSG uses policy and research specialists. Every US librarian has gone with gratitude to the Book of the States. The full text version of this indispensable tool that brings together data and charts can be conveniently accessed here in Excel. There are also unbiased, clearly written and concise narratives. For example, in one chapter, there is a thoroughly dispassionate article compiled from three different major studies on migration. Users find detailed charts describing the push‐pull factors that policy‐makers need to understand as they plan for a changing human landscape.
The homepage of CGS has a link to Stateline, with news from everywhere, links to news by region, and links to multimedia and e‐newsletters on a wide variety of practitioner oriented political science materials. In the Knowledge Center is a news feed from CNN, Globe and Mail, Washington Post and more. Hot topics in late September included reports on tolling and congestion, shortage of health care providers, a survey of state disability policies, and an article about voter initiatives and their impact on California.
The tab with policy and research has a dizzying array of valuable resources. One link takes you to different trend reports – unemployment insurance, the conditions of roads and bridges, regulating tanning beds, every topic imaginable. The Policy Areas has links to 14 broad topics such as aging, education, and energy. Under each of these are timely, detailed, unbiased reports. Under transportation and infrastructure, for example, there are reports on the success of stimulus funds in improving infrastructure, an electronic newsletter about states' efforts with sustainability initiatives, and a report on high‐speed rail projects around the country, as well as an overall picture of trends in infrastructure development.
CSG also hosts interactive forums. I could post a comment simply by voting (should we have sugar free schools) and adding my comment. Then I could study the other posts. Another interactive part of the CSG is the Consensus Project Forum, which allows practitioners who deal with mental health and the criminal justice system to ask questions, share ideas, and exchange experiences. Both experts and interested practitioners can easily participate.
For regional coverage, it's easy to go to one of the four regional sites. These have research papers on issues pertinent to the region and add depth of coverage. For example, the Midwestern Regional Page links to reports on an economic check‐up for the area, issues confronting the Midwest on retirement systems and an in‐depth look at Medicaid issues facing the heartland. Click to get to publications and there are 20 categories such as agriculture and education with each one linking to more than ten years of research reports.
Every American academic library with political science or urban studies programmes should highlight this resource. Students and others who go to it regularly will find practitioner‐oriented, balanced, in‐depth research to help understand the complexity of policy making.
