Economics Resources @ Smith Library

Finding reference works on economics: in the library & on the Internet (Items coded BLUE not owned by ECSU)

Reference Books in Smith Library, located on the second floor

The American Economy: An historical encyclopedia (HC102.A66 2003 2 volumes in the Reference Collection), edited by Cynthia Clark Northrup, has over 500 entries, 31 analytical essays and a 19 primary source documents spanning 400 years of economic life in the United States.

The American Association of Economics (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AEA/) was organized in 1885 in Saratoga, New York, by a small group interested in economics. It was incorporated February 3, 1923. Richard T. Ely, who was actively involved in the founding of the Association, was its first secretary.  From 1885 to about 1910, the membership of the Association consisted mainly of college and university teachers of economics. With the growing general interest in the subject of economics after the turn of the century, the Association attracted an increasing number of members from business and professional groups. Today the membership is approximately 19,000. In addition, about 4,500 libraries, institutions, and firms subscribe to the quarterly publications of the Association.  Over 50% of the AEA membership is associated with academic institutions, 15% with business and industry, and the remainder largely with federal, state and local government or other not-for-profit organizations.  The purposes of the Association are to encourage economic research, especially the historical and statistical study of the actual conditions of industrial life and to issue publications on economic subjects.  The Association encourages perfect freedom of economic discussion, taking no partisan attitude, nor will it commit its members to any position on practical economic questions.  The spirit of these objectives has been maintained throughout the history of the Association.

Area Handbook Series / Country Studies (Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the Department of the Army).  Most books in the series deal with a particular foreign country, describing and analyzing its political, economic, social, and national security systems and institutions, and examining the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are shaped by cultural factors.  Each study is written by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists. This resource, which currently includes over 100 studies, is available online at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/  Babbidge Library at UCONN/Storrs and the State Library also have extensive collections of paper reports.  Note the date on which any given study was completed.  The funding for this project ended in 1998 so none of these studies are current.

CIA World Factbook (http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html) was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic National Intelligence Survey studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook, map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The 1996 edition was printed by GPO and the 1997 edition was reprinted by GPO. The year 1999 marks the 52nd anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and the 56th year of continuous basic intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its two predecessor programs

County and City Extra (HA203.C68 2005 in the Reference Collection from 1992 with some breaks) is an annual publication providing up to date statistical information for states, counties, and metropolitan statistical areas, congressional districts and cities with a population of 25,000 or more in the United States.   The volume is organized by type of geographic area with descriptive statistical tables.  Statistics include population, households, vital statistics, health, crime, education, income, construction and housing, labor force and employment, agriculture, and land and water.  Places, Towns and Townships is a companion volume.

Economic Indicators Handbook: Time Series, Conversions, Documentation is a historical compilation of key economic indicators.  There are several "Library Use Only" editions available in the CSU system (none at ECSU), and Babbidge reference at UCONN/Storrs has the 1996 edition (HC103.E26 1996).  This historical data can be carried into the present by using sources such as the Survey of Current Business.

Economic Report of the President Transmitted to the Congress (PR42.9 in the U.S. Government Documents section) is noted for excellent appendices of historical, comparative economic data and is available online at http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS2401.

Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History (HC102.G35 1999 2 volumes in the Reference Collection) is a history of the U.S. economy including overview and issue essays; biographies; industry and geographic profiles; and definitions covering key events, movements, and businesses.  Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History is designed to address questions such as how has the U.S. Constitution shaped the economy in the United States or what were the consequences of Prohibition on consumers' behavior?

The Encyclopedia presents 1,000 alphabetically arranged entries that range from one paragraph to several pages in length including: Era Overviews provide broad introductions with sidebars that detail typical industries, wages and living conditions; Event/Movement Profiles profile specific developments (Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, Pullman strike, the antitrust movement, etc.); Biographies on businesspersons, theorists, politicians, social reformers and others; Business/Industry Profiles on companies and industries as well as their effects on daily life and social history; Issue Profiles discuss key social areas such as child labor, women in the workforce and immigrants' role in U.S. economics; Geographic Profiles cover the history of the colonies and states and includes details on immigration and development of local industry.

GPO Access (Government Printing Office).  Web site with links to many, free, current full text U.S. government publications. (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/).

Guide to the World's Major Emerging Economies: Country analysis and forecast reports (Business Monitor International, HC59.7.B667 2000, two volumes, in the Reference Collection) discusses the emerging economies of Asia and Eastern Europe in volume one and Latin America and the Middle East/Africa in volume two.  Selected countries from each world region are analyzed in terms of politics, economics and key economic sectors, business environment and capital markets.

Places, Towns and Townships (HA203.P62 in the Reference Collection for 1993, 1998, 2003) provides data for all the incorporated areas covered in the most recent census of population, including Census Designated Places and Minor Civil Divisions.  The volume is divided into three tables: census data for about 34,000 places; census, crime, residential construction and local government finance data for incorporated places with 10,000 people or more; and economic census data for incorporated places with 2,500 people or more.  This is a companion volume to County and City Extra.

RFE (http://rfe.org/) or Resources for Economists on the Internet is sponsored by the American Economic Association, listing more than 1,600 resources in 97 sections and sub-sections available on the Internet of interest to academic and practicing economists, and those interested in economics.   Items were selected that either offer a substantial amount of information, or are specialized to a given area. A particularly good place to look for a broader array of business and economic resources is WebEc.  The "Complete Table of Contents" is a list of all resources in this guide.  As the Complete Table of Contents is quite large, there is also an "Abridged Table of Contents" that just lists RFE's sections and sub-sections.  One can also navigate this guide by starting with the main sections listed on the title page. I would like to thank two people in particular for constant help with this guide.

STAT-USA (http://www.stat-usa.gov) is a subscription web-site provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, STAT-USA brings together a wide range of government statistical sources at one location. 

Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the Department of Commerce and Bureau of the Census (HA202.A1 in the Reference Collection (1992-2003), C3.134/7: in the Government Documents Collection, and available online via an internet link from CONSULS), is the National Data Book of the United States.  It contains a wide ranging collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States, as well as selected international data. The Abstract is also a guide to sources of other data from the Census Bureau, other Federal agencies, and private organizations. 

Statistical Yearbook = Annuaire statistique is published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistical Division (shelved at HA12.5 .U63 in the Reference Collection for 1948, 1971-78, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1985-86, 1987-2001).  Updates for this source are online to a limited degree at the United Nations web site.   The Yearbook is a bilingual (English, French) collection of vital internationally comparable data focused on socio-economic developments at the world, regional and national levels. The Yearbook provides data on the world economy, its structure, major trends and current performance, as well as on issues such as population and social statistics, economic activity and international economic relations.

Statistics Sources (HA1.S83 2003 in 2 volumes in the Reference Collection) is an alphabetically arranged dictionary guide to current sources of factual quantitative information on more than 20,000 specific subjects, incorporating almost 100,000 citations and more than 2,000 sources - print and non-print, published and unpublished, and electronic and other forms of U.S. and international statistical data on industrial, business, social, educational, financial and other topics. Three appendices help locate data source descriptions, including Internet and World Wide Web addresses.

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division (http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd) has much current, free statistical information related to international social and economic issues. The Statistics Division provides a wide range of statistical outputs and services for producers and users of statistics worldwide. By increasing the global availability and use of official statistics, this work facilitates national and international policy formulation, implementation and monitoring.  The Division produces printed publications of statistics and statistical methods in the fields of international merchandise trade, national accounts, demography and population, social indicators, gender, industry, energy, environment, human settlements and disability. The Division also produces general statistics

United States Bureau of the Census (http://www.census.gov/ ) homepage displays many links to more specific data.  For business data, including the economic census, foreign trade, NAICS, current economic surveys, and more, see (http://www.census.gov/econ/www/index.html).   This site includes access to County Business Patterns, which provides data on the number and size (employees/payroll) of business by 4-digit SIC classification.  For population statistics, including projections, for national, state, country, metropolitan area, and place and county subdivision, as well as a large variety of demographic variables see (http://www.census.gov/population/www/index.html).  For housing data and household economic data (disabilities, health insurance, income, labor force, occupation, poverty and wealth, etc.), see (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/index.html).   For a variety of census mapping services and data (TIGER, economic data selected by maps, etc) see (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/index.html).

University of Michigan Documents Center (http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/) is a central reference and referral point for government information, whether local, state, federal, foreign or international. Its web pages are a reference and instructional tool for government, political science, statistical data, and news.  From the main page use the "statistics" link to access data sources lists on a variety of topics including business.

WebEC (http://www.helsinki.fi/WebEc/WebEc.html) lists and describes material that could be of interest to mainly academic economists and is at least in part freely available on the Internet.  WebEc does not list firms, if they don't offer something of special interest to economists. The use of WebEc is free of charge, but the copyright of WebEc remains with the maker.  WebEc is a personal hobby of the author, Lauri Saarinen, a research fellow at the Helsinki School of Economics, which with a companion site, RFE, comprises the "WWW Virtual Library of Economics."  WebEc provides links to topics: General Economics Resources, Education and Teaching, Methodology and History of Economic Thought, Mathematical and Quantitative Methods, Economics and Computing, Economics Data, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, International Economics, Financial Economics, Public Economics, Health and Welfare, Labor and Demographics, Law and Economics, Industrial Organization, Business Economics, Economic History, Development,  Technological Change and Growth, Economic Systems, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Regional Economics, Economics of Networks, and the Internet.

World Development Indicators (HC59.15.W656 2005) is an annual report from the World Bank that includes more than 800 indicators for 152 economies around the world.  The report provides definitions, sources, and other information about the data which is organized into six thematic areas: world view, people, environment, economy, states and markets, and global links.  The World Bank has many free reports and documents online under the publications link on their home page (www.worldbank.org).  There is also an extensive archives related to world economic development extending back to 1946 most of which is freely available.

World Development Report: A Better Investment Climate for Everyone (HC59.7.W659 2005 in the Reference Collection) is the latest in an annual series of themed reports by the World Bank.   This report draws on survey information from firms to explore the relationship between private investments, economic development, and poverty.   This report attempts to address the issue of how countries can improve their investment climate and enhance economic development through private investment.

World Economic Situation and Prospects (HC59.15.W67 2005 in the Reference Collection) is an annual report by several United Nations commissions which provides an overview of recent global economic performance and short-term prospects for the world economy.  The report is designed to be a reference for key global economic policy and development issues that are before various United Nations entities in the year the report is written.

World Economic and Social Survey: Trends and Policies in the World Economy (HC59.A169 2004 in the Reference Collection) is an annual United Nations publication which examines recent developments in and prospects for the world economy and addresses their implications for the developing countries in the struggle against poverty.  The report includes sections on world economy, international trade, international finance, and an overview of regional economies, as well as supporting statistical tables and figures.

World Resources 2002-2004: Decisions for the Earth: Balance, voice, and power (HC10.W827 2002/04 in the Reference Collection) focuses on the importance of good environmental governance. The report explores how citizens, government managers, and business owners can foster better environmental decisions -- decisions that meet the needs of ecosystems, people and economies with equity and balance.

World Resources 2002-2004 also presents a wealth of national statistics on current environmental, social, and economic trends in more than 150 countries. The report departs from previous editions by making the full World Resources database freely accessible and searchable on-line in the companion website, EarthTrends (http://earthtrends.wri.org/). The award-winning EarthTrends site also provides data tables, country profiles, maps, and feature stories about current conditions. The World Resources series is produced through a collaboration of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the World Resources Institute.  The most current World Resources reports and a variety of other wide-ranging reports on world economy and environment can be found under the publications link on the World Resources Institute homepage (www.wri.org ).

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