SS-308 Public Policy in Contemporary America

Researching Contemporary Public Policy

This guide serves as a roadmap to some of the library and information resources, services and strategies you may find useful as you research public policy issues such as conservation, environmental law and policy, mass transportation, transfer of development rights, incentive zoning and historic preservation, and more.

Policy research is methodologically complex, so when researching policy research, stop and ask yourself the following:

• What is the key question the author is trying to answer?
• What is the author's fundamental purpose?
• What is the author's point of view on the issue?
• What assumptions is the author making?
• What information is the author basing their reasoning or conclusions?

Consortium Library Access

Our consortium libraries, including those of NYU and The New School, will remain closed to non-affiliates through February. We hope to re-open to each other March 1, but I will update you as circumstances change. 

In the meantime, if you need a book, book chapter, or journal article, you can just complete our item request form and we will either contact you when the book is ready for pickup or email you a digital copy of the book chapter or article.