Scope

This Research Guide includes sources dealing with the history of social security and issues related to its current and future management.

Overview

Encyclopedia of Aging
College Library Reference Collection: HQ 1061 E534 2002
Refer to Vol. 4: "Social Security Administration," p. 1285-1288; "Social Security, History and Operations," p. 1288-1294; "Social Security: Long-Term Financing and Reform," p. 1294-1300; and "Social Security and the U.S. Federal Budget," p. 1300-1306.

Older Americans: A Changing Market
College Library Reference Collection: HQ 1064 U5 O43 2004
Refer to "Social Security" in the index.

Poverty in the United States: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, and Policy
College Library Reference Collection: HC 110 P6 P598 2004
Refer to "Social Security" in the index.

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher.

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

social security and reform and United States
social security taxes and United States
social security and privatization
social security and pension* and retire*
social security and baby boomer*

Recommended Databases:

ABI/Inform 1971 - to date (updated daily)
ABI/Inform indexes and abstracts articles from more than 1300 scholarly and trade business periodicals. Popular journals such as Forbes, Fortune, and Business Week are also included. The Web version, ABI/INFORM Global, provides full-text articles from more than 600 of the journals from 1992 to the present. It is an excellent source of information on management techniques, corporate strategies, trends, and business conditions. Basic instructions for ABI/Inform

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe

Business Source Elite 1984 - to date (updated daily)
Contains a full-text database of more than 900 business journals plus an indexing and abstracting database of approximately 1,570 scholarly and popular journals. The database covers many areas of business including management, economics, finance, banking and accounting. Basic instructions for Business Source Elite

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on social security can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

"social security" and "united states" and history
"social security" and "united states" and policy
"old age pensions" and "united states" and policy
"retirement security" and "united states"
"social security" and ("workers compensation" or "disability insurance")
"social security taxes" and "united states"

Internet Sites

National Dialogue on Social Security
http://www.network-democracy.org/social-security/hp.html
Network Democracy provides reference materials on the Social Security debate, including statements issued by participants in the White House Conference on Social Security in 1998. The National Dialogue on Social Security was intended to increase public understanding of the issues surrounding Social Security reform and to encourage public participation in the national debate on Social Security through the Internet.

Social Security Online
http://www.ssa.gov
This is the official U.S. government web site for Social Security Administration.

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Publications
http://www.nber.org/publications/
Search the NBER Working Papers for social security, or refer to papers according to NBER Programs (see Aging, Labor Studies, and Public Economics). "The National Bureau of Economic Research is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works." Written for an audience of "public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community."

Public Agenda Issue Guides: Social Security
http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/frontdoor.cfm?issue_type=ss
Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research and civic engagement organization, presents public opinion and arguments related to the future of Social Security.

Statistics

SSA Office of Policy
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/
This Social Security Administration Office of Policy web site links to monthly and state-by-state statistics about social security.

SSA Benefit Calculators
http://www.ssa.gov/planners/calculators.htm
Online forms for estimating potential social security benefit amounts using different retirement dates and different levels of potential future earnings.

Statistical Universe 1973 - to date (updated monthly)
Contains the full text of more than 800 U.S. government statistical publications. Lexis-Nexis Statistical Universe is available to UW-Madison registered users.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html
Refer to Section 11, Social Insurance and Human Services for data tables dealing with social security. Gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Videos

Online News Hour: Social Security Reform-- December 11, 2001
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec01/security_12-11.html
Margaret Warner interviews several experts on the subject of social security solvency and personal accounts for retirement savings.

The Great Depression Cassette 4: We Have a Plan
College Library Main Book Collection: E 806 G725 1993

Organizations

Concord Coalition
http://www.concordcoalition.org/
"A nonpartisan, grassroots organization advocating fiscal responsibility while ensuring Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are secure for all generations."

Social Security Network
http://www.socsec.org
Resources on the Social Security program and the debate about its future. Developed by The Century Foundation, a respected nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that researches public policy issues.

Project on Social Security Choice
http://www.socialsecurity.org/
The Cato Institute's Project on Social Security Choice is an attempt to "formulate a viable blueprint allowing individuals the opportunity of owning their own retirement account." The Cato Institute is a nonprofit libertarian public policy research organization seeking to "broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets and peace."

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - Social Security
http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/socsec.htm
and
Special Series - Putting Social Security Reform into Context
http://www.cbpp.org/socsec-series.htm
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities conducts research on laws and policies that affect people of low-to-moderate income, including social security. Social security reform proposals are evaluated on the basis of their "basic social insurance character," "long-term solvency," and "effects on the rest of the federal budget."