The Academy is an independent organization chartered by Congress to help to federal, state, and local goverments improve their effectiveness. The site describes their activities and summarizes their publications National Association of State Budget Officers Excellent source for data on state revenues and expenditures. The stated mission of CSG is to provide a network for identifying and sharing ideas with state leaders.
Tanks Think tank is a popular term used to describe organizations conducting public policy research.
Almost all U.S. think tanks are privately funded, although some, such as the Rand Corporation, may also rely on government funding to support their research activities. During the last few decades the number of think tanks has proliferated as they have become important players in the policy making process. The NIRA World Directory of think tanks provides Internet access to think tanks. The Think Tank Directory published by Government Research Service, and Public Policy Profiles, 1996-1997 published by Congressional Quarterly, Inc. are excellent sources for information on United States think tanks. Links to the Internet sites of some of the major U.S. think tanks are provided below.