Policy research at the congress: A case study of a research unit at the U.S. senate

Abstract

The Survey and Statistical Analysis section (SSA) of the U.S. Senate Computer Center is analyzed as a case study of a unit that provides information to the U.S. Congress. Most information processed by the SSA is either gathered or analyzed using sociological research methods. This article discusses the activities of the SSA, uses of SSA information by the Senate, certain special issues affecting policy research for the Senate (the adversarial nature of the Senate, the unsuitability of Neyman-Pearson hypothesis testing, and the ethics of participating in the misinterpretation of data), and the place of sociology in the activities of the SSA. Some attention is given to the skills that are utilized by the SSA in conducting its research.