Policy, government, IGOs and NGOs - African Studies - Resources in the Social Sciences - Yale University Library Research Guides at Yale University

Politics and policy resources

Public policy research guide (Yale)
OECD iLibrary
World Bank eLibrary
Subscription database that contains books, journals, and working papers from the World Bank. While many WB publications are freely available online and accessible from the World Bank's Open Knowledge Repository, this collection includes a larger backfile (back to the 1990s) and embargoed content.

Recommended databases for public policy research

PAIS International Covers journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, and more related to "the realm of public policy."
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) Provides access to scholarly research in international affairs published from 1991 to present. Includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, journal articles, book chapters, case studies, and policy briefs.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts Indexes major journals in political science that cover such topics as political institutions, processes, and behavior; international law and politics; public policy; public administration; political theory; and political economics.
International Political Science Abstracts Indexes the world's leading journals in political science.
EconLit EconLit, produced by the American Economic Association, contains bibliographic coverage of journal articles, books, articles in collective volumes, dissertations, and working papers, covering both economic theory and application.
Hein Online Contains many "libraries" of legal materials, including law journals, treaties, U.S. government information, and more.
Social Science Research Network Social Science Research Network (SSRN) is devoted to the rapid worldwide dissemination of social science research and is composed of a number of specialized research networks in each of the social sciences.

Government documents and information

Government documents in the African Collection
Government information collections at Yale (U.S., Canada, EU, UN, FAO)
Government information search engine (Carleton University)
Select "Africa" from the drop-down menu to perform a custom search of government information from African nations.

General suggestions for finding government information

1. Try the "agency approach." Who produces the information you need? How is this information organized and disseminated? If you can answer these questions, you can create a much more targeted, focused search.

2. Google like a pro. To limit your Google search to government websites, use the very powerful "site:" search. You can search all .gov websites (site:gov) or narrow your search to a particular agency's website (site:cdc.gov).

IGO search engine

Use the Intergovernmental Organization Search Engine (a Google custom search) to search across hundreds of IGO websites:

NGO search engine

Use the Non-governmental Organization Search Engine to search across NGO websites. Sites were chosen based on their consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and also collated from University of Minnesota Human Rights Library, Duke University Libraries' NGO Research Guide, and the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO).

African Studies - Resources in the Social Sciences: Policy, government, IGOs and NGOs