The Canadian Sociological Association and its equivalent in the United States the American Sociological Association are the main scholarly societies for sociologists in North America. Search these sites to learn about research projects, conferences, professional journals and other happenings in the field.
Public policy institutes (or "think tanks") are scholarly institutes that investigate a variety of issues. Most of these have a particular political or epistemological perspective although the vast majority are non-partisan. The more well known ones provide research on most key (and often contentious) issues facing policy makers including social welfare, national defense, taxation, education, immigration, international trade, government regulation, and the environment.