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Public Administration Research: Find Local/State Government Info

Covers several areas of public administration research including traditional research for literature reviews, policy research, and legislative histories.

Finding Local and State Government Information

Unless you can physically visit the local municipality or state you are researching for your policy paper, you are limited to using online resources. Most of these resources or contact information you need you'll find freely online using a major search engine, like Google.

Here are few ideas to search for:

  • local newspapers -- many have some content available online
  • local government websites or state government websites
  • contact local government's clerk or secretary to find out who you need to talk to about your policy issue
  • contact the local public library (they may have a community expert)

Finding State & Local Government Websites

Once you locate the state government website, search it for your topic. Here are a few links to help you find a local government website.

Once you locate the local government website, search it for your topic. Here are a few links to help you find a local or state government website.

Finding Advocacy Groups

Finding Local Professional Organizations

Colorado Revised Statutes & Tracking Legislative History

Local Newspapers

Local newspapers are a great source for finding more information about local legislation. While news articles are not official government documents, they can help you understand some of the intent behind the legislation.

Many local newspapers have websites. Here are two local examples:

Searching for Newspapers

You can search the web for them by typing in the local city/municipality/state name and newspaper to locate them, but you can also use the following sources: