The Economy League launched IssuesPhiladelphia.org in 2007 as a source of timely analysis, polls and indicators, and thought-provoking columns – nonpartisan information that can help to spur conversation about what we want from our City Hall and all branches of city government now and into the future.

From policymap.com, you can access all of the information you need about a place without having to visit multiple websites or task staff and consultants with collecting and analyzing data. Policymap.com houses thousands of indicators related to demographics, real estate markets, crime, schools, housing affordability, employment, energy and public investments. Much of this data is available to the public for free — other proprietary data, such as demographic and employment projections, and home sale trends — are only available to paying subscribers. All data comes with brief, reliable, easy-to-understand definitions. For a complete listing of data available in policymap.com, please refer to the Data Directory link in the upper right of the web page. TRF hopes that you will suggest other datasets you’d like to see incorporated into PolicyMap. Click on the Suggest a Dataset link at the bottom of the web page to send us your ideas.

The Metropolitan Philadelphia Indicators Project combines two types of information to illuminate conditions and trends in our 9-county region (defined as the central cities of Philadelphia and Camden along with the Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, and the New Jersey counties of Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem). The first is a set of social, environmental and economic indicators that portray the quality of life in the regions communities. The second type of information comes from an annual household survey conducted by Temples Institute for Survey Research, asking respondents across the region how they assess the quality of life in their communities. Tracking over time the changes in the indicators and in the survey responses, we can better understand how citizens perceptions relate to the changing conditions on the ground.

The Center for Greater Philadelphia (CGP) is a unique, applied public policy unit of the University of Pennsylvania. CGP's mission is to promote regional cooperation among the public and private sectors in the Greater Philadelphia region, playing the roles of neutral, third-party convener, grassroots organizer, and objective public policy analyst.

The Keystone Research Center was created to broaden public discussion on strategies to achieve a more prosperous and equitable Pennsylvania economy.
As a research and policy development institute, the Keystone Research Center conducts original research, produces reports, and promotes public dialog that addresses important economic and civic problems, and proposes new policies to help resolve those problems.

From Moving Ideas.org, this site provides access to organizations and Think Tanks along the liberal/progressive side of issues.

 

University of Michigan guide to Think Tank sources.

A guide to the literature on Think Tanks from the Columbia University Library.

From the Heritage Foundation, this site provides great access to leading thinkers and Think Tanks along the conservative side of all issues.

From their website:
"Policy Experts is your single-source directory for locating knowledgeable authorities and leading policy institutes actively involved in a broad range of public policy issues, both domestic and foreign. Journalists, researchers, public officials and conference planners find it to be an indispensable guide for locating the right expert at a moment's notice."

Links and descriptions to the major U.S. political think tanks. The descriptions are generally from the think tanks mission.

Includes funding, staffing, mission statements, areas of research, officers, researchers, major findings, periodicals and library holdings, and affiliation with othe rinstitues.

"Drugpolicy.org features one of the largest online collections of journal articles, reports, books, testimonies and fact sheets that focus on drugs and drug policy from economic, criminal justice, and public health perspectives."