This page aims to list together institutes, magazines, journals, think tanks and other sources of quality research, commentary and analysis on broad policy issues relevant to government as a whole at a State level.
Sites marked with a * are particularly recommended.
Victorian
Institute for Private Enterprise
Institute of Public Affairs
Australian
* Centre for Independent Studies – full content of its Policy magazine on-line
The New Australian – free market and “traditional liberal” views – weekly, has extensive archive material
Workers Online – published on LaborNet by the NSW Labor Council
North American
About.com Conservatism page – conservative news, views and links
About.com Libertarianism page – libertarian news, views and links
* Acton Institute: “The mission of the Institute is to promote a free society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles.”
Advocates for Self-Government – libertarian site
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research “is dedicated to preserving and strengthening the foundations of freedom— government, private enterprise, vital cultural and political institutions, and a strong foreign policy and national defense— scholarly research, open debate, and publications”
American Legislative Exchange Council – ” is the nation’s largest bipartisan, individual membership association of state legislators”
American Heritage magazine
American Outlook, published by the Hudson Institute
* The American Prospect
American Spectator
Arts & Letters Daily “An updated report of news and reviews” on “philosophy, aesthetics, literature, language, ideas, criticism, culture, history, music, art trends, breakthroughs, disputes, gossip”, with lots of links to journals, columnists, etc
* The Atlantic Monthly (Atlantic Unbound) magazine – “Politics, society, the arts and culture”
Atlas Economic Research Foundation
Beacon Hill Institute for Public Policy – “focuses on federal, state and local economic policies as they affect citizens and businesses, particularly in Massachusetts… uses state-of-the-art statistical, mathematical and econometric methods”
Boston Review – “a political and literary forum”
The Brookings Institution
Canada West Foundation – “diverse and informative analyses on trade, regional development, economic diversification, and constitutional questions”. Many State-related papers on-line.
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives “was established in 1980 by academic and labour economists who saw the need for an independent left-of-centre research agency to counterbalance the right-wing Fraser and C.D. Howe Institutes”.
Canadian Policy Research Networks
Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs
Capital Research Center – “was established in 1984 to study non-profit organizations, with a special focus on reviving the American traditions of charity, philanthropy, and voluntarism”
Cascade Policy Institute – “Oregon’s Free-Market Think Tank … explores and promotes answers to Oregon’s public policy questions from an individual liberty, limited government, free-market perspective.”
Cato Institute
Centre for International Private Enterprise – “a primary source of information on efforts to promote economic reform, private enterprise, and democratic consolidation around the world”
Center for the Study of the Popular Culture, founded by Peter Collier and David Horowitz
Center of the American Experiment ” brings conservative and alternative ideas to bear on the hardest problems facing Minnesota and the nation”.
* Claremont Institute “For the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy”. See especially the Natural Law Centre.
* Commentary Magazine – “general, yet Jewish; highly variegated in its interests, yet infused with a unifying perspective; intellectually demanding, yet accessible to the lay reader; focused mainly on contentious social and political issues, yet widely admired for the elegance of its writing… It is the home of neoconservatism, … a movement to ‘rebuild the intellectual and moral confidence in the values on which American society rests’.” Selected articles on-line.
Competitive Enterprise Institute – “advancing the principles of free enterprise and limited government”
* Democratic Leadership Council ” is an idea center, catalyst, and national voice for a reform movement that is reshaping American politics”. Includes its “affiliated think tank” the Progressive Policy Institute, The New Democrat magazine, The New Economy Index and The Third Way
Discovery Institute “discovers and promotes ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty”
Economic Freedom Network Index “ranks 115 countries… to bring the often forgotten topic of economic freedom into mainstream public debate”.
Economic Policy Institute aims ” to provide high-quality research and education in order to promote a prosperous, fair, and sustainable economy”.
* Electronic Policy Network covers a range of social and economic policy issues
Enter Stage Right – “a journal of modern conservativism”
* Ethics and Public Policy Center – “studies the interconnections between religious faith, political practice and social values”. Good range of articles on-line.
* First Things – “A Journal of Religion and Public Life”
Forbes Magazine – business oriented
Foundation for Economic Education – “the oldest research organization promoting: individual freedom private property limited government free trade”
* Free-Market.net – excellent search engine across multiple quality sites, comprehensive links
FrontPage Magazine
Goldwater Institute – Arizona based institute which “advocates public policy founded upon the principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility”
* The Heritage Foundation “is committed to rolling back the liberal welfare state and building an America where freedom, opportunity, and civil society flourish”. Publishes Policy Review magazine with selected articles on-line.
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace, Stanford University, “is a world-renowned library and archives, and a unique center of scholarship and public policy research, committed to generating ideas that define a free society”.
Imprimis – monthly digest of significant speeches
The Independent Review – “A Journal of Political Economy”
Institute for International Economics – “attempts to anticipate emerging issues and be ready with practical ideas and specific suggestions to shape and inform the public debate”.
Institute for Objectivist Studies
Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy (University of Maryland) conducts “research into the values and concepts that underlie public policy”
Jerome Levy Economics Institute “generates viable, effective public policy responses to important economic problems”
Liberty magazine – ” the monthly libertarian (classical liberal, or individualist) review of thought, culture and politics”
The Ludwig von Mises Institute “is the educational and scholarly center of the Austrian School of economics and classical liberalism”.
The Nation magazine – “unconventional wisdom” from a left perspective
National Centre for Policy Analysis – ” offers a wealth of analysis, debate, and in-depth research from around the world.”
The National Interest magazine. Some good content, poor accessibility
National Policy Association “provides an important forum where business, labor, agricultural, and academic leaders come together in six policy committees to focus on economic and social issues of mutual concern and national significance”.
The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government ” is actively involved nationally in research and special projects on the role of state governments in American federalism and the management and finances of both state and local governments in major areas of domestic public affairs”. Lots on welfare issues.
Nevada Policy Research Institute – “Private Solutions for Public Problems”
Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs – “public policy ideas and information for Oklahoma consistent with the principles of free enterprise, limited government, and individual initiative”
Pioneer Institute “seeks to change the intellectual climate in Massachusetts by supporting scholarship that develops alternative approaches to real-world social and economic issues”
The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy “promotes the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility…focusing on public policy issues such as education, the environment, law economics, and social welfare”.
* Policy.com, “the policy, news and information service”. See in particular “Newsstand” summarising current US policy journals, and issues index to extensive article compilations.
Public Broadcasting Service. A vast site, but hard to find what you want. See especially Think Tank, “devoted to sharing ideas about public policy”.
Reason Foundation – “a national research and educational organization that explores and promotes public policies based on rationality and freedom”.
* Reason Online – “Your online source of news and opinion from a dynamic, libertarian perspective” published by the Reason Foundation
Right Magazine – “The Net’s Most CORRECT E-Zine”
SpinTech Magazine, “a monthly challenge to the prevailing culture, is dedicated to defending individual freedom in all spheres of life”
* Town Hall – “conservative news and information”. Excellent search engine across a wide range of related sites.
United Kingdom
Adam Smith Institute – a range of “e-briefings” on-line
The Economist – much of recent editions on-line, plus selected features from earlier editions
In Defence of Marxism – active site with current commentary and classic Marxist materials
Libertarian Alliance – “Britain’s most radical free market and civil liberties think tank”
LM Magazine (formerly “Living Marxism”) – vigorous articles, full archives on-line back to 1992
London Review of Books – selected reviews and other material on-line
* New Statesman – current edition on-line – archives searchable but hard to browse
Prospect Magazine – limited articles on-line
The Spectator - limited articles on-line
Other European
Centre for the New Europe “is a pan-European policy research institute, based in Brussels. It reflects and stimulates debate on economic, political, cultural, and moral issues.”
Other
The Free Radical – “politics,economics and life as if freedom mattered”
* New Zealand Business Round Table – outstanding collection of speeches and papers on a wide range of topics
