Economics

Reference Sources

Search these resources for background information

Browse the Stacks

Keeping up with Blogs & Podcasts

Econ News in Washington State

Washington State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council
The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council produces monthly updates on the economy and revenue collections, a quarterly forecast, and an annual study of Washington’s economic climate.

Employment and Economic Information -Washington State Employment Security Department
Data and analysis of Washington state’s employment conditions, economy, job market and work force.

Quarterly Business Review
Produced by the Washington State Department of Revenue, this online quarterly publication begins with a very brief Overview of business activity for the previous quarter that summarizes economic activity, by major industry, in the state. The rest of the publication consists of very detailed tables about economic output and business sales.

Seattle Office of Economic Development
This City of Seattle office provides links to information about economic conditions in the city of Seattle, economic and community development, funding resources, and small business assistance.

Learn Economic Basics Online

International Trade

U.S. Dept of Commerce

International Trade Administration
The ITA includes basic international trade information, including import/export data by country, region, and product.

World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization provides quick access to specialized international topics such as: the goods & services industry, intellectual property, government procurement, environmental policy, etc.

Country Briefings from the Economist
Detailed overviews of some 60 major nations, including economic forecasts, political and economic structure, demographic profiles, data on gross domestic product, etc.

Special Reports from the Financial Times
The British publication, Financial Times, releases surveys on specific foreign countries, world financial markets and trade, geopolitics, global industries, etc.

Index of Economic Freedom
A joint venture of The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation, this web site surveys some 161 countries and analyzes categories including trade and monetary policy, banking and finance, foreign investment, wages and prices, etc.

NGO’s and Think Tanks.

International Economics – Chatham House
“Research covers issues critical to both emerging and developed economies, including global economic governance, the international monetary system, international finance and trade.”

International Economics, Development & Immigration – Cato Institute
Publications and multimedia.

Kiel Institute for the World Economy
(IfW Kiel) “is an international center for research in global economic affairs, economic policy consulting, and economic education.”

Bruegel
European economic Think Tank that tries to “improve the quality of economic policy with open and fact-based research, analysis and debate”.

11-12th Century Trade Routes

This map covers 200 years  and depicts the main trading arteries of the high Middle Ages. It also shows the complex routes already available to Africa and Asia, and the areas where Muslim and Christian traders would meet. The open-to-trade Song Dynasty ruled China, and the competitive kingdoms in the Indonesia region provided both Muslims and Europeans with spice.

Think Tanks

United States 

• Adam Smith Institute
• Economics – Brookings Institute
• Economics – Center for American Progress
• Economics – RAND
• Economy & Taxes – The Urban Institute
• Economy news – Wsj.com
• National Buereau of Economic Research (NBER) – Founded in 1920, dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, and business professionals.
• Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Policy Studies: Economics – AEI
• Working Group on Economic Policy – Hoover Institute

Government Agencies & Statistics

ALFRED (Archival Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Retrieve vintage versions of economic data that were available on specific dates in history.

Economic Indicators
The U. S. Census Bureau has compiled a quick summary of the various types of national economic statistics and indicators.

EconData
University of Maryland INFORUM web site that provides access to thousands of historical economic data publications and series published by the federal government.

EPI Datazone
Issuing some 50 different labor market time series, the Economic Policy Institute [ EPI ] has compiled a “user-friendly” source for various statistical data sets on U.S. income, earnings, prices, etc.

FRED II – Federal Reserve Economic Data
Maintained by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED II provides files that can easily be converted to Excel spreadsheets on interest rates, monetary statistics, consumer and producer price indexes, gross domestic products, etc.

National Bureau of Economic Research
With a goal of “promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works,” the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research accesses ongoing university research projects and contains an invaluable listing of web links.

U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
This WWW database publishes the latest information and statistical reports released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s BEA.

GDP (Bureau of Economic Analysis)

U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
As the primary federal agency for compiling labor economics and business data, the BLS web site provides accurate, up-to-date statistical analyses of the U.S. economy.

CPI (Consumer Price Indices)
Data on changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services

PPI
Measures the average change over time in the selling prices received by domestic producers for their output

U. S. Census Bureau Business & Industry
This U.S. Bureau of the Census site includes the latest business, demographic and economic statistical reports released by the agency, and provides links to other major data series such as the:

Statistical & Data Compilations

AidData
Provides granular statistics on the developmental finance activities of close to 100 worldwide donor agencies.

World Bank Open Data
Browsable by country or indicator. A comprehensive compilation of global development data.

World Development Indicators
Part of thw Rold Bank Databank, this site provides authoritative statistical data on hundreds of development indicators.  Gather information or compare data.

National

United States Agency for Internation Development (USAID)

The premier government institution administering U.S. foreign assistance, USAID is full of valuable information.

International

Internation Monetary Fund (IMF)

Seeks to promote sustainable economic growth and reduce worldwide poverty.

• IMF Data. Time series data on IMF lending, exchange rate, and other economic and financial indicators.
• World Economic Outlook. Includes an assessment of developing countries and those in transition to market economies.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

The OECD organization is committed to assisting developing countries and includes resources such as:

• Development Assistance Committe (DAC) – monitors and coordinates bilateral foreign aid.
• OECD Statistics Portal
  With an emphasis on the role of member countries, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development publishes statistical data that complements the information published by other international agencies and the federal government.

World Bank

This is the principal international organization responsible for administering international development.

• Topics. World Bank projects categorized by subject.
• World Development Report. Published annually since 1978 this report provides in-depth analysis and policy recommendations on specific aspects of economic development across the globe.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Think Tanks.

Center for Global Development (CDG). Scholarly institute devoted to research on development issues whose focus is policy-orientated.

Institute of Development Studies (IDS). A global institution devoted to development research. Policy oriented.

Overseas Development Institute. UK-based think tank which aspires to bridge the gabe between research andpolicy. With content that is searchable by date, topic and location.