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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the sources and qualities of information on climate change commissioned by the US Congress from its affiliated research bodies.

Cited material in reports commissioned by Congress from three legislative research bodies were categorized and tallied for the years 1990‐2005. Qualities of cited material, such as indicators of primary‐level data analysis and references to peer‐reviewed academic scholarship were considered.

Of the three agencies, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) makes reference to peer‐reviewed academic scholarship most often. Nevertheless, only around a quarter of all cited material in CBO reports are from academic journals and comparatively few cites are to articles in top‐tier journals. The Congressional Research Service (CRS) cites its own past publications more often than it cites peer‐reviewed scholarship.

Refereed academic journals are not the only source of rigorous scientific information in the reference materials used by the three legislative research bodies. Primary‐level data are found in governmental gray literature, and these data are analyzed by the legislative research bodies in their reports to Congress. The research bodies also make use of peer‐reviewed research by private research organizations, though these latter materials may not be published in academic journals. Further research is needed to determine whether and to what extent the legislative research bodies' reports are consequential in shaping lawmakers' deliberations versus other sources of information and persuasion, e.g. reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, news reportage, constituent perspectives, witness testimony in hearings, campaign contributions, etc.

Legislative research organizations are official conveyors of policy‐relevant information to Congress. It is reasonable to expect these organizations to provide competent analyses derived from peer‐reviewed science. The present paper suggests that commissioned reports by these organizations vary in terms of the range of source materials relied on, but reference materials are seldom derived from top‐tier academic journals. At least one research body, the CRS, frequently refers to its own reports as a major source for information on climate change. Two out of three of the legislative support bodies make greater use of governmental gray literature versus academic scholarship.

References to purported shortcomings in the legislative research bodies' technical/analytical capacities exist in the public affairs literature, but are anecdotal. The present paper offers an empirical exploration of this concern, focusing on the most important environmental problem of the time.

This is the seventh article on business and law (BSL) databases in a continuing series of articles summarising and commenting on new database products. It has two companion articles: one covering science, technology and medicine (STM) appeared in Online & CDROM Review vol. 20, no. 1 and the other covering social science, humanities, news and general (SSH) appeared in Online & CDROM Review vol. 20, no. 2. The articles are based on the newly appearing database products in the Gale Directory of Databases. The Gale Directory of Databases (GDD) was created in January 1993 by merging Computer‐Readable Databases: A Directory and Data Sourcebook (CRD) together with the Directory of Online Databases (DOD) and the Directory of Portable Databases (DPD).

This paper aims to discuss the methods that were used to do egalitarian research with ten Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Rather than doing research “on” these institutions, the authors worked with them to understand their successes and build upon their capacity in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas. Through this process, the authors aimed to bring exposure and interest to the practices that HBCUs use to increase and nurture success in African American students – practices that are rarely used in mainstream STEM programs and, in fact, run counter to well-established practices across STEM. The goal is to challenge traditional methods for pursuing STEM education research as the authors offer alternative methods the uplift and empower HBCUs.

The authors used the constant comparative method in developing, testing, and writing-up the HBCU success stories. The constant comparative method collects data in a systematic way by engaging in ongoing exploration and verification of findings with key stakeholders (in this case, the teachers, students and staff at the HBCUs). Across the ten HBCUs in the sample, at least one success story or model at each institution was identified; in some instances, there were more.

The research project had several implications for the social and economic health of society. First, supporting the work of HBCUs contributes to the diversification of the STEM fields and addresses the severe drought in the STEM workforce. It is without doubt that a diverse workforce – the unique perspectives and backgrounds of each individual – has a positive and significant influence on progress and innovation in any field. Despite increasingly growing minority communities across the country, many Blacks continue to face roadblocks that impede their opportunities and abilities in the K-20 pipeline and STEM education, specifically. Because HBCUs have a long history and record of tearing down those roadblocks and contributing Black students to the STEM workforce, they are prime and optimal sites for long-term investment. Second, improving the abilities of HBCUs to support student success in STEM also increases the likelihood of greater STEM minority teachers and faculty. A significant factor in the success of minority students in STEM is the opportunity to be taught and mentored by faculty members that look like them and/or deeply understand their personal background and struggles. For many Black students, the presence of a Black science professor can improve and retain student interest and aspiration in STEM. But with so few Black STEM faculty members, many students can easily fall through the cracks. Third, aside from the nation’s security and health, supporting HBCUs’ work in STEM student achievement represents immeasurable benefits for the individual and his/her family for many generations to come (i.e. society overall). Occupations in STEM are plentiful and fruitful for those who achieve the required credentials. Increasing opportunities for Black students to pursue these STEM careers can establish a path toward upward social mobility. The realization of these benefits is contingent upon the investment in early achievement in STEM courses.

Several research based outcomes are scheduled to result from this project, including a major policy report on HBCUs and their approaches to STEM education (co-constructed with the HBCU representatives); several peer reviewed articles (authored by us as well as the HBCU representatives); a national convening (showcasing both the best practices and the results of the HBCUs’ funded capacity building projects with the HBCU representatives as the primary speakers rather than us); a website featuring the work of the 10 HBCUs, active use of social media to disseminate the findings of the project; several op-eds written for a general audience and co-authored with HBCU representatives; and an authored book published by a university press.

Best practices gleaned from this project are being shared in a scholarly manner, but they will be shared in ways that are accessible to practitioners, including presidents, faculty, academic advisors, student success staff and other HBCU practitioners. In addition, best practices will be shared with majority colleges and universities to strengthen and improve practices more broadly in STEM. The authors are working with organizations such as the Association of American Universities, Association of Public Land Grant Universities and the American Association of Colleges and Universities to showcase the work of HBCUs and disseminate information.

Conducting research projects in which the research inquiry is co-constructed and the resulting research products are also co-constructed and even co-authored is an empowering and collaborative way to work across institutional types. More importantly, this approach brings attention to those researchers and teachers at HBCUs that are doing the day-to-day work with students, training them to be scientists, doctors and professors. Too often, only those conducting studies on STEM are credited with “discovering” success models for student learning. The authors think that those who have created these models and use them should be recognized and included in the research and dissemination process, and the authors encourage others to think more broadly and openly about collaborative research that engages the voices of HBCU researchers and students.

This project also has much to teach others about collaborating through research. First, collaborating when conducting research related to STEM is essential, as it encourages collaboration within STEM and among STEM researchers. HBCU researchers that were a part of our project – biologists, physicist and chemists – were encouraged to work across disciplinary lines and together to understand their own STEM education practices more fully.

One of the more popular exhibits at the ALA meeting in Philadelphia in July was the online demonstration of the Academic American Encyclopedia. Clusters of librarians gathered to watch and assess the performance of this reference source. Some greeted it with skepticism, others with enthusiasm; but it was quite evident that the day of the single format reference source has passed. Multiple format reference sources were discussed and demonstrated throughout the exhibition hall.

The purpose of this paper is to understand why some US Senators have more low-quality followers than others and the potential impact of low-quality followers on understanding constituent preferences.

For each US Senator, data on Twitter followers was matched with demographic characteristics proven to influence behavior. An OLS regression model evaluated why some Senators attract more low-quality followers than others. Then, observations on the impact of low-quality followers were discussed along with potential effects on information gathering and constituent representation.

This study finds that total followers, ideology and length of time on Twitter are all significant predictors of whether a Senator might attract low-quality followers. Low-quality followers can have wide-ranging implications on Senator’s use of social media data to represent constituents and develop public policy.

The data set only includes Senators from the 115th Congress (2017–2018). As such, future research could expand the data to include additional Senators or members of the House of Representatives.

Information is essential in any decision-making environment, including legislatures. Understanding why some users, particularly public opinion leaders, attract more low-quality social media followers could help decision-makers better understand where information is coming from and how they might choose to evaluates its content.

This study finds two practical implications for public opinion leaders, including Senators. First, accounts must be actively monitored to identify and weed-out low-quality followers. Second, users need to be wary of disinformation and misinformation and they need to develop strategies to identify and eliminate it from the collection of follower preferences.

This study uses a unique data set to understand why some Senators have more low-quality followers than others and the impact on information gathering. Other previous studies have not addressed this issue in the context of governmental decision-making or constituent representation.

This study analyzes the policy initiatives that have been adopted by the US government since the 1930s. We document the institutional bodies responsible for the implementation of trade policy, as well as the objectives and decision making practices that are associated with policy formation. We also examine the new institutional movement of the Trump Administration’s neo-protectionist “America First” trade policy and its potential impact on the Asian region. Finally, our study examines the recent renegotiation of Korea-US FTA from a perspective of each country’s internal decision making process and discusses a number of issues that have relevant applications for Korea. The results from our analysis show that U.S trade policy show that despite a long period of an open and liberalized trade policy focus, recent neo-protectionist measures by President Trump could lead to potential trade wars and a return to the beggar-thy-neighbor policies of the 1930s. Such an anti-globalization agenda could have dire consequences for export dependent countries in the Asian region.

Corporations pour heart and soul — and other equally scarce resources — into talking to the Congress about current legislative proposals. The Congress, in turn, does its share of talking back to corporations. But, while all this talking continues, there is one area about which both Congress and corporations need to do some listening: the future.

Getting the most bang for the taxpayer buck by bolstering federal agency accountability continues to be a political theme in the 21st century. The second round of strategic plan development mandated by Congress in the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) was recently completed. This article reports the results of empirical research diagnosing the implementation issues in GPRA requirements. This research reports on the efficacy of this process from the perspectives of agency representatives. Implementation issues are grouped into two broad categories; those associated with the organization’s structure and those concerned with the plan development process. This research suggests that the potential for alignment of key management systems is suspect given that institutionalization has not occurred after nearly five years of reform efforts. Reporting on federal agency efforts provides insight into barriers to and opportunities for improving GPRA implementation processes

The Executive Office of the President's Office of Administration has restructured its informational organizational components to provide for better integration of information support systems for the 11 EOP agencies. External computerized databases are being used to support information needs in major policy areas such as economics, social welfare, health, trade, science, technology, international affairs and the environment. At the same time, internal systems are being designed and implemented to support use of the external databases. These systems will provide administrative and management capabilities as well as reference support, and will enhance communications in this highly intensive policy and programmatic environment.