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Origins of government policy -- outside government

Outside government

   Political parties

   Media

  1. Framing analysis could be useful when reading media reports.  Chapter One of Frames of Protest:  Social Movements and the Framing Perspective provides a good overview of this conceptual framework.
  2. Databases

Research community

  • Academic databases for finding journal articles
  1. America History and Life (for historical perspective on issues or policy)
  2. CBCA Reference
  3. CPI-Q (Canadian Periodical Index)
  4. Child Development and Adolescent Studies
  5. Communication and Mass Media Complete (for analytic approaches to issues in the media)
  6. Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS)
  7. PsycINFO
  8. Social Sciences Full Text
  9. Social Work Abstracts
  10. Social Service Abstracts
  11. Sociological Abstracts
  12. Web of Science (multidisciplinary)

Trade unions

Directory of Labour Organizations in Canada

Voluntary sector

Canadian Almanac and Directory lists associations by subject. If the organization has charitable status then a report is available from Canada Revenue Agency

Think tanks

Hillwatch's list of think tanks is useful and includes both Canadian and international organizations.

Databases

Canadian Public Policy Collection - collection of publications from Canadian public policy institutes, government agencies, advocacy groups, think tanks, university research centres and other public interest groups.

Note: items from this collection are also searchable through the library's catalogue; the same searches can be done as for academic books.  e.g. "child poverty" and canad*

PolicyFile   This database is largely American but does include Canadian material, e.g. Canadian Labour Congress and Fraser Institute. 

Canadian intergovernmental affairs

International organizations and agreements