Peacebuilding After Mass Violence (INAF 6549): IGOs, NGOs, Policy Institutes, and Think Tanks
Social Sciences & Policy Librarian
About this Page
Experts often share their knowledge beyond peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books, producing reports and analyses for governments, non-profits, corporations, and research institutes, and presenting at academic conferences. Although these sources, known as "gray literature," typically lack full peer review, they offer valuable insights, especially on recent events and pressing political issues, bridging the gap between journalism and traditional academic publications. Many of these "gray literature" can be tied to think tanks, NGO/IGO entities, and policy-oriented institutes; this page highlights recommended databases/sources for uncovering these sorts of works.
Databases for Think Tank, NGO, and Policy Institute Publications
- Policy commons. This link opens in a new windowThe world's largest database for public policy, with millions of reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media drawn from a directory of more than 20,000 IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, and research centers on disciplines including agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, diversity, crime, librarianship, etc. Community tools allow users to upload, share, and discuss their discoveries.
- CIAO : Columbia international affairs online. This link opens in a new window"Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is the most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. It publishes a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, occasional papers series from NGOs, foundation-funded research projects, proceedings from conferences, books, journals and policy briefs. CIAO is also widely-recognized source for teaching materials including original case studies written by leading international affairs experts, course packs of background readings for history and political science classes, and special features like the analysis of a bin Laden recruitment tape with video."--About screen.
- Contemporary women's issues. This link opens in a new windowA 98% full-text resource for information about women in over 190 countries. Particularly useful for material relating to current topics in the social sciences, such as political science, psychology, and reproductive rights, as well as contemporary cultural studies. Includes book reviews, research reports, and fact sheets, in addition to journals and magazines.
- GenderWatch / from ProQuest Company. This link opens in a new windowPrimarily a full text database, with some abstracts. Publications include scholarly journals (among them Critical Matrix, Hypatia, Columbia Journal of Gender & Law), magazines (the Advocate, Hurricane Alice, Lillith), newspapers (off our backs), newsletters, regional publications, books, booklets and pamphlets, conference proceedings, and government, n-g-o and special reports. Coverage extends from 1970 (off our backs) to the present, with most material published since 1990.
NGO Resources
Document archives and collections
Human Rights Web Archive: Archived collection of 800+ human rights related websites, collected from 2008-the present. HRWA is a collecting intiative of the Center for Human Rights Documentation & Research and Columbia University Libraries. Currently available via the Internet Archive's Archive-It service.
- Amnesty International Online Library
- Human Rights Watch Publications
- Project Diana, Human Rights Cases (Yale University)
- TANDIS Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Information System
- African Human Rights Caselaw Analyser (Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa.)
- Sexual and Gender-based Violence database (IHRDA)
- Human rights documents online This link opens in a new windowFull text searchable online version of the Human Rights Documents Project in microform.
Directories and Listings of NGOs
- NGO Guide and NGO Database (Duke University Library)
- Human Rights Library-- NGO links (University of Minnesota)
- WANGO - World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations
- Yearbook of international organizations online This link opens in a new windowIncludes all data published in the printed Yearbook of international organizations (Volumes 1A, 1B, 2, 3, and 4), Who's who in international organizations, and the whole Encyclopedia. Includes the searchable databases: Global strategies - solutions, Human values, Human development, Patterns and metaphors, Bibliography (issues), Integrative concepts, Network visualizations, and Transnational associations.
United Nations & Human Rights
Consult these research guides for help with navigating UN and other IGO online documents.
- United Nations Documentation: Research Guide Human Rights (UN)
- UN Documentation Overview (UN)
- A Brief Guide to finding UN Human Rights Documents (UN)
- Ask DAG FAQ - Find answers to many common UN research questions.
- Guide to the United Nations (Columbia Law Library)
Sources of UN Documents and information
- UN Resources & Documents - List of key databases and sources for searching for documents and UN records
- United Nations Digital Library - Search for documents, votes, speeches, public domain documents and more. Can limit your search to the Human Rights Bodies. Consult their User Guide for more help.
UN information on Human Rights
- Human Rights by Country - country-specific information via the UNHCHR
- UNHCHR Databases
- Universal Human Rights Index - country-specific human rights information; conclusions and recommendations addressed by UN independent experts
- ReliefWeb (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
- Refworld (Portal for information hosted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees)
- Human Rights Library, IGO page (University of Minnesota) and Metasearch
Think Tanks
A think tank is an organization, institute, corporation, or group dedicated to researching and advocating in public policy.
When using information from a think tank:
- Be aware of potential biases.
- Review major contributors and staff to understand their perspectives.
- Use evaluative sites to assess the think tank's viewpoint.
- Compare policy statements from think tanks with opposing perspectives.
- Policy commons. This link opens in a new windowThe world's largest database for public policy, with millions of reports, working papers, policy briefs, data sources, and media drawn from a directory of more than 20,000 IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, and research centers on disciplines including agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, diversity, crime, librarianship, etc. Community tools allow users to upload, share, and discuss their discoveries.
- Think Tank Search (Harvard)Think Tank Search is a custom Google search of over 670 institutions that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. These sites are affiliated with universities, governments, advocacy groups, foundations, and non-governmental organizations that generate public policy research, analysis, and activity. Inclusion is based upon the relevancy of subject area to research and teaching at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the availability of the think tank’s research in full-text on the website, and the think tank’s reputation and influence upon policy making. The list represents a mixture of partisan and non-partisan think tanks. Site includes browseable directory of the think tanks, US and non-US as well as guidance on evaluating think tank research.
- Open Think Tank DirectoryA global collection of 2700 think tanks and related organizations.