Political Studies

Constitutions and Relevant Documents

                           “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all - Noam Chomsky
Image:  Marcello Casal Jr. & Agência Brasil

United Nations

  • UN Homepage
  • UN-iLibrary - Large open access collection of articles, reports, books, etc., published by the UN. Searchable by keyword.
  • United Nations Official Document System Database - Resolutions and conclusions concerned with peace-keeping, security, human rights, economic development and humanitarian aid. You will find records of the General Assembly, Security Council, and other UN bodies. Browsing this collection is of little benefit - only come here if you are looking for a specific file.

Think Tanks

 Reports, news, and views of well-known Canadian and American think tanks (research institutes, policy institutes, etc.)
 
Each is interested in economics, but goes well beyond that to discuss politics, public policy, law, international development, education, health, welfare, and social issues.
 
Canadian Institutes:
File:Flag of Canada.svg
Wikimedia Image Public Domain
 
  • AIMS: Atlantic Institute for Market Studies - A regional think tank that reflects an "Atlantic Canadian perspective on economic, political, and social issues".
  • Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada - Aim is to provide "research, analysis and information on Canada’s transpacific relations". Promotes dialogue on economic, but also security, political, and social issues.
  • Broadbent Institute - A progressive, social democratic think tank founded by former Federal NDP leader, Ed Broadbent.
  • C.D. Howe Institute - The Institute's broad mandate is to improve the Canadian standard of living. It is widely regarded as the top domestic economic think tank. 
  • Canada West Foundation - A regional institute focuses on "policies that shape the west's quality of life". Their economic report bulletin - Currents - is available online, as are provincial budget reports and analysis.
  • Canadian International Council - A national research forum chiefly concerned with Candian foreign affairs. See the "Sections" tab for essays and reports. International Journal is the scholarly publication of the CIC, and can be searched from our Sage database.
  • Fraser InstituteOne of the country's top think tanks, FI "publishes research examining the effects of economics and public policy on society". It examines taxation, public spending, health care, education and trade. Of its several research publications its best-known might be Economic Freedom of the World (find it through their Free the World page). Its views are conservative.
  • North-South Institute - A well-regarded research group "dedicated to international development" - so their papers and reports will view topics in economics from the ID perspective.
 
American Institutes:
File:Flag of the United States.svg
Wikimedia Image Public Domain
 
  • Brookings Institute - Conducts research and reports on US and global economics, business, urban politics, and development.
  • Center for Economic and Social Justice - CESJ calls itself an "educational center, think tank and social action catalyst... We are dedicated to a free enterprise approach to economic and social justice for all". See their free material under the "Resources" tab
  • Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - Analyzes the effect of US budget policies on low and moderate-income families. Reports on the economy, poverty, income, taxation and welfare.
  • Economic Policy Institute - The goal of this research and analysis institute is "to include the needs of low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions". To that end they publish economic reports and indicators, and their biennial flagship publication: State of Working America.
  • Heritage Foundation - A conservative research institution that promotes public policy based on "free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense". Reports, commentaries, factsheets and other resources available.
  • Institute for Women's Policy Research - Women's policy-oriented center dealing with matters of poverty, employment, family, and civic & political engagement. 
  • Pew Research Center - "A nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about... trends shaping... the world". Interests include US politics, the media, social trends, technology, and religion. 
  • Tax Foundation - A US tax policy research organization that publishes news, articles, and reports on government fiscal policy and legal reform.
  • Urban Institute
    Carries out economic and social policy research. See their factsheets, Issues in Focus reports, and videos.
     

 
File:Auguste Rodin-The Thinker-Legion of Honor-Lincoln Park-San Francisco.jpg
 
Rodin's "The Thinker"
Wikimedia Image taken at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor Courtesy Yair Haklai. No changes. CC License
 

Other Internet Resources

The Province of British Columbia's motto - Splendour Without Diminishment

  • British Columbia Legislative AssemblyPublications, history, facts, Hansard parliamentary records
  • CIFP: Country Indicators for Foreign Policy - CIFP's concern is “failed and fragile states” and in the connections that poverty, under-development, and terrorism have with state failure. CIFP is interested in: monitoring and forecasting failed states, evaluating country performance, assessing state fragility and selected variables.
  • Constitute: The World's Constitutions to Read, Search and Compare
  • COW: Correlates of War - If you're looking for a few 'factoids' on war it's better to skip COW. The aim of the site is to provide reliable quantitative data on international relations and the causes of war. If you have time to figure out the contents of the datasets and their coding systems, and to interpret the extensive spreadsheets then this is valuable resource. But best used if you're not in a hurry. 
  • Eldis - UK human development website with resources on governance, finance & trade, globalisation, and country statistics
  • NationMaster - This is a statistical website that let's you see key numerical data for countries of the world. NM's "Government" category contains comparative stats & information on the constitutions, legal systems, political parties, level of corruption, pressure groups, etc. of countries around the world.
  • NATO - NATO is a 28-member alliance of states which aims at safeguarding the freedom and security of its members by political and military means. Click on E-Library.
  • NBER: National Bureau of Economic Research - A “private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research” group. Many of its articles are free.
  • Public Documents Collection des Libris
    A collection of books and documents from Canadian sources in electronic form.
  • RefWorld - A site of the UN High Commission for Refugees. Search the Laws, Jurisprudence, and Country Information tabs.
  • United States Institute of Peace  - A nonpartisan, independent institution (funded by the US Congress) whose stated aim is the "nonviolent prevention and mitigation of deadly violence abroad". Most useful are the "Countries" and "Issue Areas" tabs containing description, articles, and analysis.
  • WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources - A mediated directory of good-quality, free, stable, English-language links to a varied array of webpages, directories, search engines, blogs, portals – see the topical guide on the sidebar.
See also the Library's "Economics" Libguide for other websites that deal specifically with international economy (World Bank, IMF, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development, etc.)
 

Mainstream News (International)

Canada

United States

Australia

Britain

China

France

Germany

  • FAZ (English translation available)
  • Focus (English translation available)

India

Israel

Japan

Pakistan

South Africa

South Korea

International focus

See also our "Newspaper Research" Library Guide here. 

                                                                               File:People are reading newspaper on the street.jpg

Reading the News: Nanjing, China October 18, 2008 
Image courtesy of Stougard
Wikimedia Commons CC License

News Magazines

News magazines cover the same current events that newspapers do, but usually in greater depth and with more insightful coverage.
 
A  newspaper tells us a bomb blew up in an Ahmedabad train station killing 28 people. A news magazine reflects on the social, political, cultural, or religious causes and effects of the event.
 
 But keep in mind that while reputable news magazines offer useful points of view on current events, they should not be mistaken for academic journals.
 
Canada
L’Actualite (French Canada)

United States
Harper's Magazine (literature, culture, finance, and politics)

Britain

France
 
Germany
Der Spiegel (Germany)
 
India
Frontline (India)
 
North Africa
North Africa Journal (politics, security, economics, huamn affairs)
 
Russia
The New Times (Russia) (right-click for English translation)
 
Some content is available online, but you will be asked to subscribe for full access.
 
File:Der Spiegel logo.svg
 
File:The Economist Logo.png
 
 
 
                                                      File:Shidehara Kijuro on TIME magazine cover.jpg      File:Princess Elizabeth on TIME Magazine, April 29, 1929.jpg      File:Gertrude Stein on Time magazine 1933.jpg
 
Time Magazine covers (l-r):
Shidehara Kijuro October 12, 1931;
Princess Elizabeth April 29, 1929; and
Gertrude Stein September 11, 1933
 
Kijuro cover credit: Keystone
Elizabeth cover unattributed
Stein cover credit: GP Lynes
Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain
 
 

Alternative & Independent News

Independent News & Views

Alternative media want to be free from the influences of government and the commercial mass media outlets.
Independent media mavericks are not unbiased, and they don't pretend to be. But they want to distance themselves from an homogenized mainstream media that is averse to alternate views.
 
File:Juan Gris - Still Life with Newspaper - Google Art Project.jpg
Still Life with Newspaper
Oil on Canvas by Juan Gris 1916
Wikimedia Commons: Public Domain 

Gale/Cengage Historical Collection

                                                        

"Points to the Past" is an enormous collection of primary resource materials, totaling nearly 200,000,000 pages of full text content. It includes maps, photos, newspapers, pamphlets, sermons, poems, and other resources. NOTE: Because it is financed by the BC Government, Points to the Past is available from within British Columbia only.
 
Several of the sets might be of use to students of political studies:
To see the whole collection go here.