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Political Science *

Below are links to databases and scholarly web sites that support the study of political science and its related sub-disciplines.

Transportation Policy Research Resources

Below are links to databases and electronic resources that support the study of transportation policy and related areas of research. For additional resources, GO HERE.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Databases that offer multidisciplinary coverage of transportation policy literature from scholarly and non-scholarly sources.

  • CQ Researcher -- in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Reports are published weekly 44 times a year.
  • Google Scholar -- the scholarly part of the Google empire. To set up Google Scholar with access to full-text journals and databases, go here.
  • JSTOR -- a multidisciplinary archive of scholarly journal articles covering most major disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Useful for identifying historical research on a topic.
  • Policy Commons -- platform for objective, fact-based research from the world’s leading policy experts, nonpartisan think tanks, and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. The database provides advanced searching across millions of pages of books, articles, working papers, reports, policy briefs, data sets, tables, charts, media, case studies, and statistical publications, including archived reports from more than 200 defunct think tanks.
  • ProQuest -- comprehensive, multidisciplinary database of newspaper, magazine, and scholarly journal articles updated daily. Content is more focused and manageable than Google Scholar.

SPECIALIZED RESEARCH RESOURCES

Key Databases

  • Journal of Planning Literature -- a journal that publishes review articles and abstracts of recent research literature in city and regional planning and design. Because this is not an actual database, searching for specific information requires downloading sections of the journal and using the Ctrl-F function to search for terms in the PDF document.
  • MassTransitMag – this website offers industry news, email newsletters, video profiles, and opinion pieces about the world of mass transit. The site is mostly dedicated to providing information about mass transit systems in the United States, though visitors will note that there is some coverage of international transit systems as well.
  • National Transportation Library -- provides national and international access to both print and electronic transportation resources, serving as the coordinator and policy lead for transportation information access and as a central repository for Department of Transportation research results and technical publications.
  • Transport Research International Documentation [TRID] -- comprehensive bibliographic resource on transportation research information. The database contains nearly 1.2 million records of references to books, technical reports, conference proceedings, and journal articles in the field of transportation research. More than 600 serial titles are regularly scanned and indexed for TRID. Excluded from coverage is information on vehicle standards and specifications, patent information, market research, or military transport.
  • Urban Studies Abstracts -- research database essential to the study of cities, towns, and regions. It covers subjects of key relevance to the discipline including urban affairs, community development, and urban history. Coverage dating back to 1939.

Related Research Resources

  • ABI/Inform -- database features thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data related to all aspects of business.
  • America: History and Life -- database that covers the history of the United States and Canada. It includes key English-language historic journals, selected historic journals from major countries, state and local history journals, and selected relevant journals in the social sciences and humanities.
  • EconLit -- includes comprehensive coverage of research on economics, economic, policy, and econometrics derived from peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers from leading universities, doctoral dissertations, books, collective volume articles, conference proceedings, and book reviews. There is up-to-date coverage with nearly 1.3 million records and coverage as far back as 1886. Nearly 65,000 entries are added each year.
  • Environment Index -- provides access to articles from domestic and international journals, books and conference papers covering applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, natural resources, marine and freshwater science, geography, pollution and waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, urban planning, and more.
  • Transportation Funding and Finance State Bill Tracking Database -- produced by the National Conference of State Legislatures, this database tracks enacted, pending, and failed bills related to state-level transportation funding and finance options. The database also tracks state legislation that addresses local transportation funding. This includes bills that authorize local governments to collect taxes and fees and those that allocate state revenues to counties, municipalities or other local entities for transportation purposes.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

Databases that offer the opportunity to understand and contemplate the implications of policy decisions through the eyes of those who may be most impacted by those decisions.

  • AgeLine -- provides access to aging-related content from the health sciences, psychology, sociology, social work, economics, and public policy. Sources include scholarly journals, books, book chapters, reports, dissertations, consumer guides, and educational videos from 1966-present.
  • Chicano Database -- bibliographic index focuses on the Mexican-American and Chicano experience, and the broader Latino experience of Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Central American immigrants since 1992. Covers Chicano/a art, education, folklore, health. history, labor, language and literature, music, politics, public policy, religion, sociology, and women's studies.
  • Ethnic NewsWatch -- includes current and archival coverage of newspapers, magazines and journals from ethnic and minority presses. Very important database for gaining a perspective and an understanding of civic engagement from underrepresented groups and minorities.
  • GenderWatch -- a full-text database that focus on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas. Publications include academic and scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books, booklets and pamphlets, conference proceedings, and government, NGO and special reports.
  • LGBT Life -- the premier resource to the world\'s literature regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual issues with coverage that includes traditional academic, lifestyle, and regional publications, as well as non-periodical content such as non-fiction books, bibliographies and dissertations.

DATA AND STATISTICS

  • Active Transportation Database -- developed to collect and store bicycle, pedestrian, wheelchair, and scooter/skateboard volume counts from infrastructure and planning projects across Southern California. It serves to provide a standardized methodology for pre and post counts required by the Active Transportation Program, allow for agencies that have installed automated counters to store data in order to develop seasonal correction factors for short duration counts and other modal analysis, provide an open data set for researchers interested in analyzing trends in bicycle and pedestrian trips and mode shift, and support active transportation planning by providing a “one-stop-shop" of data commonly used in active transportation planning.
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics -- data collections include traffic, passenger flow, employment, financial condition, and on-time performance of commercial aviation; the Commodity Flow Survey; transborder movement of freight by mode of transportation; a census of ferry operations, precursor safety data for transit operations, and data on near misses and equipment failures in offshore operations.
  • Fatality Analysis Reporting System -- site for access to official accident and injury data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Includes pre-made tables of data as well as the ability to build your own data query. Data coverage goes back to 1994 and is available down to the city level.
  • Federal Railroad Administration Data and Resources -- provides freight flow data by commodity type and transportation mode for U.S. exports and imports to and from Canada and Mexico, a series of reports highlighting each state's infrastructure, safety, freight movement, passenger travel, vehicles, economy, and the environment, and presents key transportation indicators along with data and information about the performance and impacts of the U.S. transportation system.
  • Federal Transit Authority National Transit Database -- repository of data about the financial, operating, and asset conditions of American transit systems, the database contains a wealth of information, such as, agency funding sources, inventories of vehicles and maintenance facilities, safety event reports, measures of transit service provided and consumed, and data on transit employees. NTD data is used to apportion funding to urbanized and rural areas in the United States under key metrics, including Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM), Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH), Passenger Miles Traveled (PMT), Unlinked Passenger Trips (UPT), and Operating Expenses (OE).
  • Maritime Administration Data and Reports -- site contains statistical and economic analyses and reports on a variety of maritime transportation topics.  Published data are used as indicators for the health of the U.S. flag maritime industry.  The agency regularly tracks the number of large, self‑propelled, ocean-going ships registered under U.S. flag, and other statistics on U.S.‑international trade and vessel activity at U.S. ports.
  • National Traffic Safety Board Accident Data -- this site provides access to formal reports produced by the the agency focusing on aviation, highway, railroad, hazardous materials, marine, and pipeline accidents and studies.
  • National Transit Database Data -- primary source for information and statistics on the transit systems of the United States. Statute requires that recipients or beneficiaries of grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to submit data to the agency. Approximately 850 transit providers in urbanized areas currently provide data.
  • National Transportation Atlas Database -- a set of nationwide geographic databases of transportation facilities, transportation networks, and associated infrastructure. These datasets include spatial information for transportation modal networks and intermodal terminals, as well as the related attribute information for these features. These data support research, analysis, and decision-making across all modes of transportation, but are most useful at the national level, but have major applications at regional, state, and local scales throughout the transportation community. The current NTAD databases are designed for use within a geographic information system (GIS); however, the attribute data for each dataset can be accessed in any database, spreadsheet, or other software package. In 2016, the database switched from an annual update to updates on a continuous basis.
  • Rapid Transit Database -- a collection of all rapid transit corridors worldwide that relies on data collected from government sources and publicly available news sources. The RTDB was developed by the New York-based organization, Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, and is updated annually. Users can view or download the full database or create specific reports by choosing the metric, mode of transportation, and country or city.
  • State Traffic Safety Information -- provides traffic safety information and data on a state by state basis. Includes statistics on total fatalities, the economic cost of motor vehicle crashes, motorcycle rider deaths, and several other statistical categories.
  • TranStats -- developed for transportation researchers and analysts, the site provides a single gateway to a variety of transportation data. It includes a searchable index of more than100 transportation-related databases, online data documentation, interactive analytical tools, interactive mapping, and a mapping center.

Descriptions of resources are adapted or quoted from vendor websites.

Organizations

Below is a select list of national transportation advocacy organizations. To locate descriptions of additional organizations, special interest groups, and research centers, search the Gale Directory Library database.

NATIONAL ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS

  • Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety -- an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer.  Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws and policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.
  • American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials – a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. It represents all transportation modes, including air, highways, public transportation, active transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
  • America Walks -- a nonprofit advancing safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move by giving people and communities the resources to effectively advocate for change. Promotes walking and walkable communities with federal agencies, provide strategy support, training and technical assistance to statewide, regional, and local organizations.
  • Community Transportation Association of America [CTAA]  -- an advocacy organization that believes mobility is a basic human right based on the idea that mobility directly impacts quality of life. CTAA members are in the business of moving people and are are dedicated to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of age, ability, geography or income, have access to safe, affordable and reliable transportation.
  • Eno Transportation Foundation -- a non-profit charitable foundation that focuses on all modes of transportation, with a mission of cultivating creative and visionary leadership that addresses emerging issues for the nation’s multi-modal transportation system.
  • Institute for Transportation and Development Policy -- promotes sustainable and equitable transport worldwide through programs focusing on public transport, non-motorized transport, travel demand management, parking, transport policy, and urban development.
  • Moving Forward Network -- a national network of over fifty member organizations that centers grassroots, frontline community knowledge, expertise, and engagement from communities across the U.S. to transform the global freight transportation system and advance environmental justice. MFN builds partnerships between community leaders, academia, labor, big green organizations, and others to protect communities from the impacts of freight.
  • National Association of City Transportation Officials -- an association of 91 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The association advocates for a safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life.
  • Project for Public Spaces, Inc. -- a nonprofit dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build strong communities. The organization is a central hub of the global place-making movement, connecting people to ideas, resources, expertise, and partners who see place as the key to addressing our greatest challenges.
  • Resources for the Future: Transportation -- an independent, nonprofit research institution that, among other things, examines issues related to pollution, congestion, and safety by analyzing the costs, benefits, and distributional consequences of transportation policies to help lawmakers design programs that can effectively impact consumer and producer behaviors.
  • Surface Transportation Policy Project -- a national collaborative working to ensure safer communities and smarter transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment. STPP monitors trends, emerging issues, needs, and new policy proposals related to the planning and implementation of transportation in the United States. Of particular interest are issues related to safety, the environment, sound asset management, planning, and public policy.
  • Transportation for America -- an alliance of elected, business, and civic leaders from communities across the country, united to ensure that states and the federal government invest in smart, homegrown, locally-driven transportation solutions that ensure future economic prosperity.
  • Transportation Research Board -- a division of the National Academy of Sciences, the Board promotes innovation and progress in transportation through research. It facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and, disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation.
  • TRIP National Transport Research -- a private nonprofit organization that researches, evaluates, and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues. TRIP promotes transportation policies that help relieve traffic congestion and its impact on air quality, improve road and bridge conditions, make surface travel safer, and enhance economic productivity.

Descriptions of resources are adapted or quoted from vendor websites.