Subject Guides: Politics and International Relations: Websites and Official Publications

Current UK parliamentary material

Free e-resources

Parliament UK: Publications and Records
See what is happening today in both Houses, read previous debates in Hansard (published 3 hours after the event) and get the latest select committee reports.
Parliament Live TV
Live and archived coverage (2009-) of all UK Parliament proceedings taking place in public, including debates and committee meetings of both Houses.
Parliament Home
An independent web service aggregating press releases, radio, TV, newspapers, websites, blogs and Twitter, updated continually. Also reports and analysis from the editorial team led by Paul Waugh, formerly deputy political editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper.
BBC Parliament
Live debates and committee meetings, plus analytical programmes.

Official (and unofficial) UK government websites

GOV.UK
Designed for the general public, a single website for all government departments and many other agencies and public bodies (formerly Directgov).
UK Government Web Archive
Managed by the National Archives, UK central government websites preserved for posterity on a regular schedule since 2003. External links and contact details are not updated.
Legislation.gov.uk
Formerly the Office of Public Sector Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Full text of Public General Acts 1988-, Local Acts 1991-, Statutory Instruments 1987-, and Church of England Measures 1988-.
Local Government Association
Information on the major issues affecting local government, details of current LGA activities and policies, and access to LGA papers.
Local Government Information Unit
"The local democracy think tank": an independent research and lobbying organisation dedicated to promoting local democracy. Brings together information on events, networks and publications produced by the Unit and its partners.
They Work For You
Maintained by volunteers, a record of all MPs' activities since 2001. Search by postcode to view the voting record, questions asked, registered interests and expense claims of the MP for your area.

Public websites

Commonwealth Secretariat
Large site providing news, background information and research documents, plus a useful selection of links.
Council on Foreign Relations
US-based nonpartisan and independent think-tank. Hosts primary documents, background material and news coverage from around the world.
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Searchable site provides news and policy statements, plus a Documents Database of annual reports, command papers and other published texts from 1997.
Global Politics Network
An international platform where a community of critically-minded students as well as young professional from all over the world can meet to exchange ideas and theories. Articles are free to access and contributions are encouraged.
International Foundation for Election Systems
IFES provides "targeted technical assistance to strengthen transitional democracies". Many of their publications are freely available. Also hosts the Election Guide: a searchable database of worldwide election information and results.
Inter-Parliamentary Union
Includes details of activities and publications and hosts several authoritative sources of reference information (such as Parline, which provides factual descriptions of parliaments worldwide, and the bibliographic database Women in Politics).
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)
Provides latest news, and background information including Fact Sheets on key issues. Also incorporates the full text of the latest NATO Handbook plus a library of full texts of official documents, press releases etc.
Chatham House
One of the world's leading institutes for the analysis of international issues. Site provides information about activities and publications, including the full texts of Briefing Papers and the current Annual Report.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
This site gives updates on projects and links to publications of the UNECE, one of the five regional commissions for the UN, as well as outlining the work and remit of the organisation.

ACCORD: African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes
Incorporates news and links, plus the full text of the organisation's publications African Journal in Conflict Resolution and Conflict Trends.
Arms Control Association
Provides the full text of the Association's journal Arms Control Today from 1997, plus an extensive set of fact sheets and other documents classified by country and subject.
Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
A non-profit organization promoting the transfer of former military resources and assets to civilian purposes. Contains information about the Center's projects and publications (some available in full online).
CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet)
A substantial directory of texts, bibliographies, databases and links to other siteson 'the Troubles' in Northern Ireland, from 1968, classified by topic but also searchable.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Provides links to the full text of many policy briefs and research papers, with information on how to order books and monographs that originate from the centre.
Carnegie Moscow Center
A centre which aims to develop a tradition of public policy analysis in the states of the former Soviet Union and improve relations between Russia and the United States.
Children and Armed Conflict Unit
Incorporates up-to-date information on armed conflicts around the world and their impact on children and provides reports on specific issues and themes relating to children. Includes a comprehensive database of international law.
Conflict Studies Research Centre
Provides information on the aims of the centre and its activities. Provides free access to a large number of working papers and reports.
INCORE: Initiative On Conflict Resolution and Ethnicity
A substantial collection of resources including the Conflict Data Service covering 43 countries, the Ethnic Conflict Research Digest, and links to related organisations.
Institute for Security Studies (South Africa)
Provides full text of many papers, plus details for ordering books or monographs originating from the Institute.
Institute for War and Peace Reporting
Provides full text of many reports (classified by region), plus a substantial set of links to other related sites.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines
Site includes information about the Campaign's activities, plus background texts and research resources.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Provides latest news plus information about publications, including the full text of the latest Annual Report.
United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs
Includes an online Educational Resources area, as well as access to statements and press releases and information about DDA Publications.
United States Institute of Peace
Provides information about the Institute's activities and policies, plus a Digital Library of full-text documents relating to conflicts worldwide, e.g. peace agreements, reports of Truth Commissions etc. Also the Institute's own publications, and links to other relevant sites.

Brookings Institution
An independent, nonpartisan organization. Site includes a detailed listing of research topics and current projects (each entry linking to reports, analysis, briefings etc), plus details of printed and audiovisual publications.
Catalog of US Government Publications
Searchable by keyword to find bibliographic records of items in Federal Depository Libraries since 1994.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Publications in the public domain that originate from the work of the CIA have been grouped thematically in the Special Collections area of the Electronic Reading Room.
CIRCLE
Centre for Research on Civic Learning and Engagement - Collects information on political participation and civic engagement amongst young US citizens including levels of political apathy and voter turnout.
Congress.org
Includes details of recent legislation and bills under consideration.
Cornell University Collection of Political Americana
Provides access to a collection of free images taken from the Susan H. Douglas Collection of Political Americana. Content includes political cartoons and satire, political and election campaign ephemera, posters and propaganda leaflets.
FirstGov
The U.S. Government's official web portal, with links to information on all aspects of domestic, foreign and social policy. The site allows the searching of millions of web pages from federal and state governments and U.S. territories.
Foreign Policy in Focus
A US think-tank, FPIF is a collaborative project of the Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). The site provides free access to commentary, analysis and full-text reports on the impact of US foreign policy throughout the world.
House of Representatives
Provides details of current activities (updated weekly), background information about Members, Committees, and Organizations of the House, plus links to other U.S. government information resources.
PoliTxt
A Digital Archive of Political Texts providing access to many key texts relating to US politics and government including transcripts of all inaugural presidential addresses from 1789 and State of the Union addresses from 1913.
RAND Corporation
RAND is an influential US based think-tank; a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis which address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world.
This Nation
The American government and politics portal - written by Prof. Jonathan Mott, University of Oklahoma, and including a full online textbook on US government and politics, plus a library of classic political essays, speeches, treaties etc.
United States Senate
Background information about its history and membership, plus daily schedules of activity.
US Department of State
News and current affairs, details of the Department's structure and function, plus background information and publications relating to the Department's activities.
Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Provides free access to a collection of press releases, statements, event transcripts and full text reports published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The White House
Background information and news about the US president, designed for the general public.

APSANET: American Political Science Association Online
The major professional society for people who study politics, government and public policies in the US and around the world.
DEMOS
Site includes information about current projects, a searchable catalogue of publications (most are free to download).
Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
The leading UK independent think tank on the centre left.
Political Studies Association of the UK
Site provides information about the Association's activities and publications, including a searchable archive of conference papers.

EU resources

EUROPA
Official website of the European Union, in 27 languages. Background information, legislation and publications.
EurActiv
An independent media portal fully dedicated to EU affairs, funded by corporate sponsorship and advertising. News and opinion, special reports and blogs.
European Commission
The body which proposes new legislation to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, and ensures that EU law is correctly applied by member countries. Summaries of policies and legislation for the layperson.
European Parliament
The only directly-elected EU institution. Latest news, calendars of current business, background information and MEPs' biographies.
Council of Europe
With members from 47 countries, the oldest international
organisation dedicated to fostering co-operation in Europe, through the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Includes the European Court of Human Rights.

UK archival material

The Library's print and microform collection of UK government publications is located in the Raymond Burton Library reading room.

Subscribed e-resources

British History Online (Calendars of State Papers: Domestic, Scotland and Ireland) This link opens in a new window
The premium subscription content includes all the volumes of the Calendars of State Papers, Domestic and the Calendars of State Papers for Scotland and Ireland. British History Online also gives free access to digitised versions of a range of other primary and secondary sources for the medieval and early modern history of Britain.

Accessibility information
Parliament Rolls of Medieval England, 1275-1504 This link opens in a new window
The rolls of parliament were the official records of the meetings of the English parliament from the reign of Edward I (1272 – 1307) until the reign of Henry VII (1485 – 1509), after which they were superseded by the journals of the lords and, somewhat later, of the commons. The rolls, which amount in total to over four million words, were first edited in the eighteenth century and published in 1783 in six folio volumes entitled Rotuli Parliamentorum ( RP) under the general editorship of the Reverend John Strachey. This new edition reproduces the rolls edited in RP in their entirety, plus those subsequently published by Cole, Maitland, and Richardson and Sayles as well as a substantial amount of material never previously published, together with a full translation of all the texts from the three languages used by the medieval clerks (Latin, Anglo-Norman and Middle English).
State Papers Online This link opens in a new window
The Stuart and Cumberland Papers from the Royal Archives, Windsor Castle are on trial until 3rd March 2025.
This major archive gives access to the following collections:

- The Tudors, 1509-1603: State Papers Domestic
- The Tudors, 1509-1603: State Papers Foreign, Scotland, Borders, Ireland and Registers of the Privy Council
- The Stuarts and Commonwealth, James I - Anne I, 1603-1714: State Papers Domestic
- The Stuarts and Commonwealth, James I - Anne I, 1603-1714: State Papers Foreign, Ireland
- Eighteenth Century, 1714-1782, Part I: State Papers Domestic, Military, Naval and Registers of the Privy Council

The resource reproduces the original historical manuscripts in facsimile and links each manuscript to its corresponding fully-searchable Calendar entry.

Accessibility information
Eighteenth Century Official British Parliamentary Publications Portal 1688 - 1834 This link opens in a new window
This portal provides access to 1,400 volumes of core 18th century official Parliamentary publications which include Sessional Papers, Journals and Proceedings of both Houses of Parliament, Parliamentary Registers, Private Bills, Private Acts and Local and Personal Acts.

Accessibility information
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (ProQuest UK Parliamentary Papers) This link opens in a new window
The University has access to the House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (18th - 21st centuries).
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers gives access to over 200,000 House of Commons sessional papers from 1715 to 2023, with supplementary material back to 1688. It includes page images and searchable full text for each paper, along with detailed indexing.

Accessibility information

Margaret Thatcher Complete Public Statements 1945-1990
Selected material is freely available from the website of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation.

Free-to-access archives

Hansard 1803-2005 This link opens in a new window
The full text of Hansard, the Official Report of debates in Parliament. This is a prototype digitisation project still under development and the information has been provided by the Hansard Digitisation Project, led by the Directorate of Information Services of the House of Commons and the Library of the House of Lords.

Accessibility information

Parliamentary Archives (1834-)
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Official records of both Houses of Parliament, including Acts, Journals, Deposited Plans and Appeal Cases. Collections of private political papers and records of political bodies and pressure groups. Very little of this material is digitized; visits by appointment.

Cabinet Papers 1915-1978 This link opens in a new window
Gives full text access to Cabinet papers, including minutes, memoranda, conclusions of cabinet meetings, Cabinet Office precedent books, and some Cabinet Secretary's notebooks. This primary source material is accompanied by a range of supporting and background material and resources.

Accessibility information

The Organisation of Central Government Departments: a History (1964-1992)
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Created by a team at Nuffield College Oxford, a database containing historical details of UK government ministers, departmental responsibilities and functions.

Politics and International Relations

Websites and Official Publications

Websites and Official Publications

Current UK parliamentary material

Current UK Parliamentary Material

Free e-resources

Official (and unofficial) UK government websites

Official and unofficial UK Government Websites

Public websites

EU resources

EU Resources

UK archival material

UK Archival Material

Subscribed e-resources

Free-to-access archives