When scholars dive into policy/economic research, they often gravitate toward the usual suspects: peer-reviewed journals, think tank reports, and government databases. Yet lurking in plain sight is an extraordinary resource that deserves far more attention from the academic community: Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports.
Operating as Congress's own think tank, CRS transforms complex policy questions into actionable insights. Unlike many policy documents, CRS reports must thread a delicate needle: they need to be comprehensive enough to satisfy congressional scrutiny while remaining accessible enough for practical application.
Unlike academic research, which often chases novel theoretical frameworks, or think tank reports, which frequently advance specific policy agendas, CRS reports serve a purely practical purpose: informing legislation. This means they excel at synthesizing existing research and presenting it in context, often revealing connections between seemingly disparate policy domains that more specialized academic work might miss.
CRS reports offer a fascinating window into the evolution of policy thinking. Because CRS regularly updates its analyses, tracking changes across multiple versions of a report can reveal how understanding of complex issues develops over time. This temporal dimension makes them invaluable primary sources for scholars studying the development of public policy. When legislators request analysis of emerging issues, CRS researchers must often synthesize scattered evidence into coherent frameworks before academic consensus emerges. Yet many scholars remain unaware of their value or consider them mere policy documents rather than serious analytical works.
The next time you're planning a research project or examining a social issue, consider incorporating CRS reports. Here are some examples from the 614 reports listed on CRS for 2024: