Welcome to
the Oregon Politics and Government website!
This site was initially created so readers of Oregon Politics and
Government: Progressives versus Conservative Populists (University of Nebraska Press,
2005) could easily look further into the books subjects. But the
driving purpose of the site now is to provide the public, students, and
scholars a doorway into the many internet resources concerning Oregon’s
government, politics, and policies. To accomplish this larger goal, the
authors need to hear from those using the site.
Please help improve the site. Contact me if you find
links do not work or to suggest new links to add.
Dr. Mark Henkels
Public Policy and Administration
Western Oregon University
henkelm@wou.edu
Internet Resources on Oregon
Politics:
Valuable
General Web Sites
General Sites on Oregon Politics and Policy
Oregon Policy Directory
This sight has extensive links to government, interest group, advocacy, and other sites relating to Oregon's government, politics, culture, and public policy.
Oregon
Center for Public Policy
This site is an excellent source for analyses of data on Oregon's
taxation and social programs.
The following web sites are very useful sources for general information
and comparative analysis of a very broad range of state and local
issues.
State
and Local Government on the Net
Washington
Post's "News from the States"
Governing Magazine
U.S. Bureau of the
Census
Pew Center for the
States
Nelson Rockefeller Center on the States
Sites that Relate to Specific Areas of Oregon Government and Politics, Organized by Chapter
Chapter - Subject
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Internet Resource and Site Location
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Chapter 1: Introduction |
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Nine States
of Oregon
"The Nine
States of Oregon," special series in the Oregonian, November
2003.
Oregon On-Line
Oregon Blue
Book
The Blue Book is the official guide to Oregon government, providing
information on all levels and branches of government, as well as
general information on the state, published every two years by the
Secretary of State.
Oregon State Library Publications
This web site includes a list of the major public
documents it distributes to Oregon libraries, some online version
documents are available through links.
Oregon's Constitution
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Chapter 2: Place, People |
Chapter 2: Place,
People
PSU Center for
Population Research and Cenus
The Population Research Center at Portland State
University is the official source for all population information for
the state. The center produces a variety of reports on social,
economic, and demographic trends both for the state and for local
governments.
US Census Bureau
National Association
of Counties Data Page
US Bureau of
Economic Anaylsis |
Chapter 3: Oregon in the Nation and the World |
Chapter
3:
Oregon in the Nation
The U.S. Census Bureau provides a wealth of
information on Oregon in comparison with the nation in general,
including economic, social, and demographic data. A good place to begin
looking is at the Bureau's American FactFinder page for the state:
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=04000US41&_geoCon$
The Statistical Abstract of the United States provides a wide variety
of
comparative information on the states: http://www.census.gov/statab/www/.
Information on export figures from Oregon is available through the US
Department of Commerce at http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/industry/otea/state/.
Agricultural export data is available from the U.S. department of
Agriculture: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/StateExports/.
Links to the web pages for all of Oregon's ports are available through
the
secretary of state's web site: http://www.sos.state.or.us/bbook/local/other/other03.htm
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Chapter 4: Parties and Elections |
Chapter
4: Parties and Elections
Project
Vote Smart's
Oregon Home Page
Voter Information
Services
Election Data
The Elections Division in the Secretary of State's office provides
material on a wide variety of topics, including state election laws,
party registration figures, a log of recent initiatives and referenda,
and past elections results through its official web site. The site also
provides a searchable database on campaign finance and state elections.
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Chapter 5: Direct Democracy |
Initiative and Referendum Institute |
Chapter 6: Interest Groups |
Chapter 6: Interest
Groups |
Chapter 7: Media |
Chapter 7: Media
Newspapers
The largest newspaper in the state is The Oregonian, which
provides a good source of information on politics and government in the
state, as well as other news. The Statesman Journal also
devotes considerable attention to state politics. Based in Salem, it
provides hometown coverage of the events in the state Capitol. Another
source is the Eugene Register-Guard.
The Oregon State Library provides a searchable index to these three
newspapers, as well as several smaller ones. Also, many university and
local libraries provide access to current and archival newspaper material.
An excellent source for broadcast analyses of
Oregon issues can be found through Oregon
Public Broadcasting. This site provides a wide range of reports and
interviews covering both historical and late-breaking issues.
Major local television stations have websites that
feature information about local and state politics and issues. The Secretary
of State's Media webpage provides direct links to these websites.
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Chapter 8: The Legislature |
Legislation and Laws
Information on the Oregon Legislative Assembly. The site provides
information on individual legislators, the legislative process, measure
histories, session statistics, and other related topics.
Laws
Passed By Legislative Assembly
A searchable index of all the laws passed by the Legislative Assembly.
National Conference of
State Legislatures
This site provides a nation-wide perpsective of state legislative
issues. |
Chapter 9: Governor |
Chapter 9: Governor
Oregon
Governor's Office
Oregon
Department of Justice
The web site includes information on the
department's role in the state, as well as a database on opinions
rendered by the Attorney General.
National Governors
Association
This site provides an overview of issues that the nation's governors
are concerned about.
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Chapter 10: Bureaucracy |
Oregon State
Archives
This site provides access to various elements of rule-making and
published regulations, as well as to agency audits by the Secretary of
State. |
Chapter 11: Judiciary |
Chapter 11: Judiciary
Oregon State
Courts Home Page
Oregon
Supreme Court Philosophy
For a nice overview of Oregon Supreme Court's philosphy, see Jack. L.
Landau, "Hurrah for Revolution: A Critical Assessment of State
Constitutional Interpretation," Oregon Law Review Vol. 79,
No. 4
Court System
and Opinions
The web site for the Oregon Judicial Department provides the opinions
of teh Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Tax Court, along with
general information on the court system.
National Center
for State Courts
This site provides information on a wide variety of matters concerning
state judicial systems.
|
Chapter 12: Local Government |
Chapter 12:
Local Government
League of
Oregon Cities (LOC)
The City Center,
Research Division of LOC
Association of
Oregon Counties
Metropolitan
Service District Development
For a history of Metro, see Carl Abbott and and Margery Post Abbott,
"Historical Development of the Metropolitan Service District."
|
Chapter 13: Budgeting |
Federation
of Tax Administrators
Government Finance
The Legislative Fiscal Office and Legislative
Revenue Office Regularly conduct research on issues related to
government spending and taxes in Oregon.
Oregon
Budget and Management Division
The Oregon Budget and Management Division develops the governor's
budget and oversees beduget-related issues, the web site also provides
links to the governor's budget and legislative action.
Governor's
Budget in Brief Index
Government Performance
Information on Oregon's efforts to measure government performance found
at the Oregon Progress Board. This site also includes data on the
performance of both state and county governments.
Government Finance
The Legislative Fiscal Office and Legislative Revenue Office regularly
conduct research on issues related to government spending and taxes in
Oregon. |
Chapter 14: Environmental Policy |
Chapter
14: Environmental Policy |
Chapter 15: Health Policy |
Oregon
Program for Health Policy and Research
This site presents past and present data and analysis of the Oregon
Health Plan. |
Chapter 16: Social Issues |
Chapter 16: Social Issues
Economy and
Demographics
The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis serves as the main forecasting
unit for the state of Oregon, producing the state's economic and
revenue forecasts, as well as othjer reports. Several of the office's
reports, including the economic forecasts, are available online at the
above link.
Public
Opinion Polls
The only regularly conducted public opinion poll in Oregon is one that
is administered every two years by the Program for Governmental
Research and Education at Oregon State University. The poll focuses on
voter understanding of and attitude toward government programs and
taxation. The Oregon Progress Board conducts a social survey of Oregon
residents every two years as well, tracking trends in economic
well-being, health care, and other social issues. Be sure to scroll
down to the bottom of the "Linkages" to access a large number of survey
databases.
The University of Oregon Library contains a detailed bibliography of
sources to find data and other information on local areas in Oregon.
The library's web site provides links to statistics on agricultural,
economic, educational, environmental, welfare, and other issues.
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Chapter 17: Education Policy |
Oregon
Department of Education |
Chapter 18: Oregon in Perspective |
Chapter 18: Oregon in
Perspective |
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