Members of the University of Notre Dame community now have access to Policy Commons: World Governments, a database containing research documents from governments worldwide. 

Policy Commons: World Governments is a digital archive comprising millions of government sources from over 200 countries and territories, as well as information from US state governments and intergovernmental organizations such as the European Union. It encompasses a diverse range of information, including agency reports, working papers, datasets, legislative transcripts, podcasts and videos.

“This database is unique in that it allows users to search documents from specific national governments or agencies,” Mark Robison, department head, Academic Collections and Services, said. “Notre Dame users have never had access to a database of government sources with this kind of breadth or functionality. Additionally, the database includes source types that might otherwise not be included in the scholarly record.”

According to Robison, the database captures sources directly from governments’ websites and archives them in perpetuity. 

“Government websites are notoriously transient, and links and pages break or vanish over time,” he said. “Policy Commons: World Governments helps solve this problem, bringing more permanence to government web-sources.”

The database, acquired by the Hesburgh Libraries in May of this year, simplifies the process of researching government sources. It allows users to easily navigate information recently published on government websites, as well as pre-internet era materials gathered from governmental digital archives. The database covers dozens of languages, but every resource features a searchable English summary.

“Students and faculty within a range of disciplines will find value in this database, particularly those working in social science, area studies, historical and legal fields,” Robison said. “As governments’ official ‘paper trails’ have rapidly shifted from print to online over the past two decades, this database will fill a tremendous gap.”

Members of the Notre Dame community looking to access Policy Commons: World Governments, either on or off campus, should use the Okta-authenticated link listed in the library’s catalog record.

For more information, contact Mark Robison, Hesburgh Libraries.