Who Governs in American Politics? We Use Data to Find Answers

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Resources for political science research on American politics. Topics include US political institutions, political elites (e.g. Trump and conservative media), state and local politics, US political history, and American political culture. Also see law, courts & justice (for resources on US Supreme Court) and political behavior (for behavior not uniquely American).

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ORIGINAL PROJECT: U.S. Presidents' Positions on Roll Call VotesPres. Jackson's Positions:
21st House     21st Senate
22nd House     22nd Senate
23rd House     23rd Senate
24th House     24th Senate

QUIZ YOURSELF: What is larceny?

Unlawful taking or attempted taking of property other than a motor vehicle from the possession of another, by stealth, without force, and without deceit, with intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property.

Answer: Hover over the box!More of this: Review Judicial Process

Teach Political Analysis

Theory & Concepts:
The Essentials of Political Analysis, 6th Edition. Classic introductory text, clear writing, helps students learn, great ancillaries. More info.

Companions for SPSS, Stata, Excel & R. Practice with software of your choice.

MORE FOR TEACHERS: Sample Course Syllabi featuring our textbooks, varied software, with/without paper assignments

Review Terms for 5 Minutes - Pick chapters or just press play for quick study

Run Live R Demos in Browser - Excellent for online teaching

Links to More Resources for Teaching Political Analysis

Watch and Learn


Make a Histogram Using Data Analysis ToolPak's Histogram Tool
By Vickie Dominguez (5:40)

MORE VIDEOS: Lecture Videos for The Essentials of Political Analysis

Learn How-To Do It with Video Tutorials for R, Stata, SPSS, and Excel


Independent Samples T-Test from Only Sample Size, Mean, and Standard Deviation
Todd Grande shows how to conduct t-test from descriptive statistics (7:38)

Blogs, Podcasts & Journals

Breaking Battlegrounds: .Interviews opinion leaders from across the world to discuss politics, culture, and policies that are shaping our day-to-day lives.

Current Events: Management of the Administrative State: .Focused on enhancing the role political scientists can play in the management of the administrative state by becoming involved in regulatory matters and seeking Presidential appointments to key positions.

Presidential Studies Quarterly: .Peer-reviewed political science journal devoted to study of presidents and presidency.

Studies in Am. Political Development: .Articles focus on American governmental institutions over time and on their social, economic and cultural setting.

USAPP - American Politics and Policy: .From the London School of Economics

See All Political Science Podcasts

American Politics Data Sites

Voteview (UCLA): .Allows users to view every congressional roll call vote in American history on a map of the United States and on a liberal-conservative ideological map.

Pennsylvania Policy Database: .A free, online resource that provides access to more than 200,000 state and news media records, enables users to trace and analyze the history of public policy in the Commonwealth since 1979.

Texas Politics Project, The: .Publishes three to four statewide public opinion polls each year to assess the opinions of registered voters on upcoming elections, public policy, and attitudes towards politics, politicians, and government.

Congress Project, The: .Site features data collected by the Congress project, as well as links to other sites providing data and information on the U.S. Congress.

Vetoes by U.S. Presidents, 1789-present: .From the U.S. Senate library

See All American Politics Data Sites

New American Politics Articles with Replication Data

No Right to Be Wrong: What Americans Think About Civil-Military RelationsRobert Ralston; Ronald R. Krebs (2023 est.)