Introducing CongressData and Correlates of State Policy

Social science research into policymaking, electoral processes, and governmental functions is heavily influenced by the availability and usability of specific, granular data. Though vast amounts of data are generated by government and collected by researchers, their utilization in academia is limited due to lack of availability, aggregation, and standardization. This paper introduces two resources that address this issue using a similar toolbox - CongressData and an updated version of the Correlates of State Policy database, which tackle these challenges at the federal and state levels in the United States. We describe our methodologies for data collection, standardization, and integration, and present tools that we designed to simplify the use of the datasets and their application in research. Consistent with our commitment to collaborative scientific advancement, these tools also automate the citation of sources from the datasets that researchers employ in their studies.