On the Web:

General Economics

Brookings Institution  The Brookings Economic Studies program analyzes current emerging economic policy issues facing the United States and the industrialized and developing world. Brookings economic research aims to increase understanding of how the economy works and what can be done to make it work better.  Look for the link to "Economic Studies Program" on the sidebar menu.

CNN Money  Current financial news on markets, industry, small business, economy. Click on "Economy" for a list of economic indicators, news, and a calendar of events.

Economic Policy Institute  Research and ideas in the following areas: living standards & labor markets, government & the economy, trade & globalization, education, and a "jobwatch" feature that provides information on the state of jobs in the nation.

ECONLinks  ECONlinks "was developed to provide easy access to basic economic and financial information for students in economics and business courses" according to the site description. However, the information is useful to anyone who needs economic information. You will find links to Indexes and Directories, Current News, Business News, Current Economic Indicators, Financial Market Information, Economic Analysis and Forecasts, U.S. Government Agencies and Sites, and much more.  Good all around information on the economy.

A Glossary of Political Economy Terms  A nice dictionary of economic terms relating to politics with lengthy explanations for each term, from a professor at Auburn University.

Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation  LAEDC's mission is "to attract, retain and grow businesses and jobs in the regions of Los Angeles County."  Among the useful economic information provided by the site:  upcoming regional forecasts, economic news, Los Angeles County profile, and publication list.  LAEDC also provided a free, weekly newsletter by email.

Research Papers in Economics  Database of research papers, journal articles and software components on economics. A collaborative effort of 44 countries "to enhance the dissemination of research in economics."

Technical Reports and Working Papers in Business & Economics  From the Library of Congress; this site aims to increase awareness of "grey literature" in economics, or publications from government and other organizations that are not commercially published.

• County & City Data Book 
  City and county data collected from the U.S. census.
   
• Europa World Yearbook 
  Provides international and United Nations statistics.
   
• Statesman's Yearbook 
  Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world.
   
• Statistical Abstract of the United States 
  Published by the federal government, this source contains many statistics on labor and industries in the United States.
   
• World Economic Outlook (International Monetary Fund) 
  Analysis and projections of the world economy. Reviews the world economic situation including trade and financial markets. Extensive statistical tables. Published biannually.
   
• World Factbook 
  Published by the CIA, this is especially good for per capita income, inflation rate, and unemployment rates for each country.

Check the Library catalog under the subject headings "Economics," "Microeconomics," or "Macroeconomics" for additional resources. 

Go to the Library catalog  

Federal Government

Bureau of Economic Analysis  The nation's economic accountant, preparing estimates that illuminate key national, international, and regional aspects of the U.S. economy.

Bureau of Labor Statistics  The principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in labor economics and statistics. Collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates statistical data to the public, Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor.

Consumer and Producer Price Indexes  Regional Data section allows user to select information from various popular tables, e.g. CPI, PPI, hourly earnings, from 1988 to the present and construct reports based on user criteria. Also provides links to other statistical sites, national and international.

Consumer Price Index Summary  Provides national CPI for current year plus information on the index itself.

econDash  The U.S. economy at a glance arranged like the dashboard of a car gives a quick look at economic factors currently in play. Offers more detailed explanation of the quick look gauges.

Economic Report of the President  The Council of Economic Advisors presents reports from 1996 to the present. Keyword searchable.

Los Angeles CPI   From the San Francisco Information Office of the Bureau of Labor Statistics current and prior month plus prior year for all categories. Includes Compensation and Working Conditions, Consumer Expenditure Survey, Average Annual Pay by State and Metropolitan Area.  Includes information for other west coast cities.

GPO Access Economic Indicators  Another version of the government's "Economic Indicators" that may be searched by date from 1995 on.  From the Government Printing Office.

U.S. Economic Indicators   Highlights from the Census Bureau's latest economic indicators on U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, Advance Monthly Retail Sales, Housing Starts, Advance Report on Durable Goods Manufacturers' Shipments and Orders, Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders, Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales, and Monthly Wholesale Trade.

Other Sources

The Conference Board  A private, not-for-profit organization, publishes information on a variety of economic topics such as consumer confidence, e-commerce, economic indicators, performance excellence, and current economic news.

Dismal Scientist  Current leading economic indicators, date of next release, analysis, and monthly figures for previous year. Includes consumer credit and confidence, prices, savings, housing starts, durable goods orders. Links to government sources of the indicators; forecasts of economic indicators for next two years (e.g. expected consumer price index)for 130 business, demographic, labor, income, real estate, and vital statistics variables for states.

How Much Is That?  Have you ever wondered what the value of a dollar was in 1895? Or what the GDP was in 1929? Here is a place where you can ask questions of comparative value covering purchasing power, interest rates, and other variables between the past and today.  Includes GDP for the U.S. 1869 to present; purchasing power of the U.S. dollar (1665-present) and the British pound (1600-present); inflation rates for the U.S. (1666-2000) and Britain (1601-2000); exchange rates for the pound and dollar 1792-2000; and more.

Salary Calculator  From homestore.com, this site allows you to enter the salary received in one city and calculates the comparable salary necessary to live in another city. The Accra Cost of Living Index, a standard print resource, measures the costs  for a variety of items (rent, groceries, fuel, etc.) in MSAs and cities. Some information is available on the Web for a fee.  Accra is a "nonprofit organization promoting excellence in research for economic and community development" that analyzes economic data used by chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, government agencies, etc. 

• The Dow Jones-Irwin Guide to Using the Wall Street Journal 
  This easy to understand guide explains statistics that determine the business economy. Discusses money supply, GNP, business cycles, and consumer and producer price indexes as well how to understand the tables of stock and bond price quotations. Almost 10 years old and due for a new edition, the Guide nevertheless is one of the more useful tools to understanding economic indicators and how they work. 
   
• Standard & Poor's Statistical Service
  Includes economic indicators among its other statistics.
   
• Federal Reserve Bulletin  
  Articles report and analyze economic developments, discuss bank regulatory issues, and present new data. Charts and statistical tables included. Articles from the Federal Reserve Bulletin are available on the Web beginning with the 1997 issues.
   
• Monthly Labor Review  
  Current statistics on employment, hours, earnings, consumer and producer price indexes, productivity, and more.
   
• Survey of Current Business  
  Monthly publication of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Includes articles, charts and graphs, and statistical tables. Survey of Current Business articles from 1998 to the present are available on the Web.

For other books and magazines, check the Library online catalog under "Economic Indicators" or "U.S. Economic Conditions." 

Go to the Library catalog

On the Library network:

• Business & Company Resource Center
  Search for news and articles on economics. An extensive business, company and industry database with news, articles, financial documents, rankings, company histories, industry reports, and more.
   
• Infotrac OneFile
  A large periodicals database featuring the full text and citations for newspaper and magazine articles. Includes numerous general and specialized publications about U.S. and international economics.
   
• Newsbank
  Consists of two databases: America’s Newspapers, which indexes the full text of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Orange County Register, San Diego Union-Tribune, USA Today, the Washington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle from roughly 1985 to the present; and Noticias en Español, which provides full text articles in Spanish.

Try searching these databases under "Economic Indicators," "GNP," "Consumer Price Indexes," "Business Cycles," etc. 

Go to the Library's databases