Economics

See also related guides: Economics Internet Resources, Public Administration and Business Subject Guides listed on The Business Librarian's Page.

Introduction

Encyclopaedia Britannica defines Economics as: "a social science that seeks to analyze and describe the production, distribution and consumption of wealth."

Webster: 1 : a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services 2 : economic aspect or significance.

The study of economics spans human economic behavior from an individual basis to a global basis. According to Webster:

"Microeconomics is a study of economics in terms of individual areas of activity (as a firm, household, or prices)."

"Macroeconomics is a study of economics in terms of whole systems especially with reference to general levels of output and income and to the interrelations among sectors of the economy."

Background on the discipline of Economics can be found at: The History of Economic Thought Website or Archive for the History of Economic Thought where one can find a large number of significant texts in the history of economic thought. For a chronology, see Great Economists and Their Times.

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Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Provide excellent background/overview information. An excellent place to begin research. Contain articles written by experts for a general audience. Lists indexes indicating scope of coverage of a topic and pinpointing articles in which a concept will be discussed. Provides bibliographies for further reading.

	The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Managerial Economics HB30.22 .B55
	An Encyclopedia of Keynesian Economics HB99.7 .E528 1997
	Electricity Information (International Energy Agency) HD9685 .A1 E44 1999
	Encyclopedia of American Industries 2v. HC102 .E53 2001
	Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance HF5381 .E52 2000
	Encyclopedia of Global Industries HD2324 .E53 1996 (We will update, but at $565.00+ we are waiting for latest ed.)
	Encyclopedia of Global Population and Demographics. 2v. HB871 .N43 1998
	Encyclopedia of the Consumer Movement HC79 .C63 E53 1997
	Encyclopedia of Law and Economics K487 .E3E53 2000
	Encyclopedia of Political Economy. 2 v. HB61 .E554 1999
	Encyclopedia of Small Business. 2v. HD62.7 .H553 1998
	European Union Encyclopedia and Directory HC241.2 .E8334 1996 Update being ordered.
	Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. 2v. HC102 .G35 1999
	International Petroleum Encyclopedia HD9560.5 .I59 2000
	McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Economics HB61 .E55 1994
	The MIT Dictionary of Modern Economics HB61 .P4 1992 Electronic Version (NetLibrary)
	The New Palgrave : a Dictionary of Economics HB61 .N49 1987
	OneLook® Dictionaries (751 online dictionaries at one site)
	Survey of Social Science. Economic Series 1991 v.1-5 HB61 .S94
	Working Americans, 1880-1999. v. 1 Working Class; v. 2 Middle Class HD8066 .D47 2000
	Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations 5 v. G63 .W67 1998

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Reference Works

Handbooks, dictionaries, statistical sources, tables; detailed or procedural information specific to the subject areas addressed.

	African Development Report HC800 .A1 A32 2000
	Agricultural Statistics HD1751 .A43 Annual Electronic Version
	Agriculture, Mining and Construction USA HD9715 .U5 A64
	Asian Development Outlook: ADO HC411 .A754b 1998 2001 being ordered.
	Biographical Dictionary of Dissenting Economists HB76 .B5 1992
	Business Statistics of the United States HC101.A13122 1999-2000
	County Business Patterns Inventory of businesses with number of persons employed.
	Country Commerce. HC10 .B87 Country reports issued at different intervals with "main reports", which are kept up to date by "updaters".
	Demographics USA. County ed. HC110 .C6S83 2000
	Directory of Non-governmental Development Organizations in OECD Member Countries HC60 .D523 1990
	Economic Census (Includes Census of Manufactures, Census of Service Industries, Census of Retail Trade, Subject and Industry Series, State data sets, and Minority-Owned Businesses)
	Economic Report of the President HC106.5.A272 Annual
	The Economist guide to Economic Indicators HA29 .E28 1997
	The Economist's Handbook: a Research and Writing Guide HB74.5 W97 1994
	Emerging Market of Russia HC340.12 E63 1998
	Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance HF5381 .E52 2000
	FP, Canadian Demographics (Financial Post) HC111 .S8 2001
	Global Benchmarks: Comprehensive Measures of Development HD75.5 .Y34 1998
	Glossary of Environmental EconomicsTerms
	Glossary of International Economics (Deardorff's)
	Glossary of Research Economics. Copyright 1997-2002, Peter B. Meyer
	Green Globe Yearbook HC79 .E5 G74 1997 (1999-2000 being ordered)
	Guide to Economic Indicators HC103 .F9 2000
	A Guide to Everyday Economic Statistics HB137 .C57 1995
	Handbook of U.S. Labor Statistics: employment, earnings, prices, productivity and other labor data HD8051 .A63 1999-2000
	Handbook of United States Economic and Financial Indicators HC106 .8O47 2000
	Handbook of Income Distribution HB523 .H358 2000
	Handbook of International Economic Statistics 1997 on order
	Handbook of organization theory and management (NetLibrary) HD2326 .H283 1998
	Household Spending : Who Spends How Much on What HC110 .C6O34
	Industrial Development Global Report HC49.69 I53 1997
	Infrastructure Industries USA HD9506 .U5I3 2001
	International Financial Statistics HG3881.I626 Latest Annual edition at Reference.
	Japan Economic Almanac HC461 .I6 1998 Update not available.
	Lloyd's Ports of the World HE552 .P6 2001
	Manufacturing & distribution U.S.A. HD9721 .M368 2000
	Metal Statistics HD9506 .U6 A5 2000
	Mexico Handbook: Economic and Demographic Maps and Statistics HC135 .P5 1994
	NAICS - North American Industry Classification System PREX 2.6/2:IN 27/997/CLOTH NAICS - U.S. Census Bureau Includes conversion tables for SIC codes, and from SIC to NAICS
	Occupational Outlook Handbook HF5382.5 .U5 O23
	OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook HC79 .T4 S38 2000
	Population of the United States HB3505 .B63 1997
	Service Industries USA HD9981.1 .S47 1996
	Standard Industrial Classification Manual HF1042 .U58 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System
	State Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Handbook HB3505 .S66 1996
	State of Working America HD8051 .S73 1998/99 On order: 2000/01
	Statistical Abstract of the United States HA202 Annual Electronic Version
	Statistical Abstract of the World HA154.S83 1996
	Statistical Handbook on Consumption and Wealth in the United States HC110 .C6S73 1999
	Statistical Handbook on Poverty in the Developing World HC59.72 .P6 S73 1999
	The Ultimate Field Guide to the U.S. Economy HC103 .F59 2000
	U.S. Industry and Trade Outlook HC106.5 .A17 2000
	U.S. Industry Profiles: USIP: The Leading 100 HD2771 .U8 1995 2nd ed. on order.
	Value of a Dollar: prices and incomes in the United States, 1860-1999 HB235 .U6 V35 1999
	Television & Cable Factbook HE8690 .T452 2001
	World Development Indicators. Partial data may also be found on the Web at World Bank Data & Maps
	World Factbook (CIA) HC59 .N248 Electronic Version
	World Index of Economic Forecasts HB3730 .W66 1995
	World Labour Report HD5706 .W68 2000
	World Resources - A Guide to the Global Environment HD75.6 .W65 1998/99
	Year-book of Labour Statistics (International Labour Organization) HD4826 .I63 2000

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Databases and Indexes

Magazine, periodical and journal articles provide information on current developments, research trends, experiments and hot topics in a discipline. For every discipline, there are specific databases or indexes that provide article level information. Once articles are identified through the database or index search, look up the source journal in Vikat, PSU Library's online catalog, to locate them in the library. For a complete list of online databases and indexes, see the Library's Online Databases pages.

	Econlit Premier database for economic literature, including journal articles, books, dissertations and working papers. Abstracts only. 1969-
	Business Periodicals Index / Reference / Call No: Z7164 .C81 B983 1958-
	Index of Economic Articles / Reference / Call No: Z7164 .E2 A57
	Journal of Economic Literature / Call No: HB1 .J6
	Wall Street Journal Index / Reference / HG1 .W249 Wall Street Journal Online
	Academic Search Premier Full-text
	Access UN United Nations. Documents are available in United Nations Microfiche Collection.
	BEPRESS Electronic Journals - Economics. On order
	Business Source Premier Full-text
	F&S Index Plus Text - US Full-text
	F&S International. International trade journals Full-text
	GeoBase (International content)
	MasterFILE Premier Full-text
	NBER Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) On order.
	OECD Publications/Journals (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) We have a standing order, and coming soon will be web access as we switch from paper to full text.
	PAIS - Public Affairs Information Service
	Social Sciences Citation Index: Access for latest years: Web of Science Print: Z7161 .S65 1977-1997 / Reference
	Social Science Index
	Wall Street Journal Online
	Web of Science 1997- Incorporates Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index
	World Development Indicators Partial data may also be found on the Web at World Bank Data & Maps
	WORLDCAT WORLDCAT includes over 35 million records of any type of material cataloged by OCLC member libraries including manuscripts written as early as the 11th century.

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Electronic Journals

Comprehensive List | Selected Electronic Journals

Many, but by no means ALL, of the journals of interest to Economics are available online. Below is a selected list of full text journals to which PSU has access. Most of the journals require authentication for off campus use.

Selected Electronic Journals

	American economic review 1911-2000
	Business and society review 1974-present
	Business and society review 1993-present
	Cambridge journal of economics 1997-present
	Canadian journal of economics 1968-1 year ago
	Canadian journal of economics 1993-present
	Contemporary economic policy 1998-present
	Demography 1964-2001
	Econometrica 1933-2000
	Economic journal 1891-1998
	Economist (London) 1975-present
	History of political economy 1999-present
	Industrial management and data systems 1994-present
	Industrial relations 1964-1 year ago
	Industrial relations 1993-present
	Journal of applied econometrics 1886-1998
	Journal of economic history 1941-1998
	Journal of economic literature 1963-2000
	Journal of economic perspectives 1987-2000
	Journal of industrial economics 1952-1998
	Journal of political economy 1892-2000
	Journal of regional science 1965-1 year ago
	Journal of regional science 1993-present
	NBER Reporter (National Bureau of Economic Research) 1990-present
	Population 1989-2001
	Population and development review 1975-2001
	Population studies 1947-2000
	Quarterly journal of economics 1886-1998
	Review of economic studies 1933-2000

Finding Books

Subject Headings | Keywords | Call Numbers

Subject headings allow you to search library catalogs for materials on a particular topic. Often subject heading searching can be more productive than searching by simple keywords. Listed here are some major subject headings of interest for research in economics. Copies of the complete set of the Library of Congress Subject Headings are available at the reference desks throughout the library. 

Subject Headings

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Keywords

Some common terms are better searched as keywords. Here are some sample cases:

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Call Numbers

Browsing the library shelves by call number ranges is another strategy for locating information on a topic; call numbers can help you get to the "right neighborhood" in the library stacks. For a complete outline of Library of Congress Classification go to: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION OUTLINE

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Organizations

Often the best way to find information on a topic is to look for material published by a professional society or an organization.

	Alta Plana - International Organizations
	Directory of Economic, Commodity and Development Organizations (OECD)
	Economic Associations on the Web
	World Bank - International Economics and Trade Pathfinder - Organization Web Links

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Time Series Data

	Economagic.com: Economic Time Series Page
	Economic Data - FRED®
	FreeLunch.com Search over 1,000,000 free economic & financial data series.
	Glossary - Time Series Data
	Macroeconomic Time Series
	Time Series Data Library

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Web Resources

See also: Subject Guide for Economics Internet Resources

In addition to exploring the links below, you may wish to do your own Internet search:

If you wish to limit your search to Federal web sites, you may use Google/Unclesam.

Selected Economics Web Resources:

	Resources for the Economist on the Internet Premier metasite. Everything listed below most likely will be found here.
	WebEc - WWW Resources in Economics (WWW Virtual Library) Also an excellent metasite. Uses frames.
	The Library of Economics and Liberty Dedicated to advancing the study of economics, markets, and liberty. It offers a unique combination of resources for students, teachers, researchers, and aficionados of economic thought.
	Methodology and History of Economic Thought
	Africa Economic Analysis
	Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
	Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
	Brookings Institution
	Bureau of Economic Analysis
	Bureau of Labor Statistics
	A Business Researcher's Interest (@Brint.com) Of special interest is the New Economy Business Technology Portal selected from the pull-down menu.
	Census Bureau
	The Dismal Scientist Forecasting and consulting. Especially useful for releases of economic indicators.`Requires subscription.
	Economic Intelligence and Commerical Intelligence on the Web Created by John Pike
	Economic Data - FRED® Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
	Economics Departments, Institutes and Research Centers in the World
	Economics Working Paper Archive (EconWPA)
	Economist (London) Use ABI/Inform to obtain full-text articles for the Economist.
	Economy in Latin America - LANIC
	Energy Information Administration: Offiicial Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government
	European Union Internet Resources
	Export Oregon
	Federal Reserve Board: Economic and Research Data
	First Union's Economic Information (First Union Bank)
	The History of Economic Thought Website (Includes Schools of Thought)
	Inside Asean
	International Center for Economic Growth
	International Organizations and NGOs (Union of International Associations)
	IPEnet (International Political Economy Network)
	Latin America (WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources)
	Latin America in the Internet
	LATCO Tools of the Trade (Latin America)
	NAFTA NATIONS Resource Center for the importer, exporter and international merchant doing business in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States.
	NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) Working Papers
	Oregon Economic & Community Development Department
	RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) The RePEc database holds over 140,000 items of interest, over 46,000 of which are available online.
	Small Business Administration
	Social Science Research Network
	Statistics in Latin America - LANIC
	U.N. Documentation Centre
	U. S. Economics Departments on the Internet
	The Virtual Library on Microcredit

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Writing and Citation Guides

Internet Citation Guides
University of Wisconsin Library

Writing, Citing and Evaluating Guides on the Internet
University of British Columbia

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