Economics and Finance

Getting Started

Reference sources can help you as you begin a research assignment by providing background on your topic. Some provide statistics, while others contain articles that are short syntheses of widely accepted scholarship and facts. Scholarly encyclopedia articles are more trustworthy than most free websites, and provide additional depth because they focus on specific issues, theories, and regions. Some are now available online through the library, such as:

Oxford Reference Online: Economics and Business - background on economics as well as other business-related topics.

More reference sources are available in print in the Grace Library, such as:

• Main Economic Indicators: Historical Statistics 1969-1988 REF 330.90021 Or3m
• Who's Who in Economics : A Biographical Dictionary of Major Economists, 1700-1981 REF 330 B61w
• A Dictionary of Economics REF 330.0321 P17n
• Pocket Finance: The Essentials of the World of Finance From A to Z REF 332 Ec7p
  

Research Databases

Search the following databases for scholarly articles in economics and related areas:

ProQuest - select the ABI/INFORM option to search economics and business journals.

EBSCO - select Business/Economics Databases.

Books in the Franklin College Libraries

To locate economics-related books, use the Franklin College catalog. Start with an "Anywhere" (keyword) search on your topic, or a Title or Author search if you are looking for a specific book. Books on similar subjects are shelved together, so you can find one title in the catalog and then browse the shelves for more books. Books in the General Collection can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.

Reserve Collection: Many books have been placed on reserve by professors. To determine whether a book has been placed on reserve, check the catalog (which will say "reserve" along with a professor's name). Reserve books can be used in the library for a limited amount of time.

Statistical Publications Online

In the past, the Franklin Libraries have kept many of these publications in print. They are now available online as downloadable PDFs.

IMF Publications - includes World Economic Outlook, Fiscal Monitor, and Global Financial Stability Report

Transition Report - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Least Developed Countries Report - UN Conference on Trade and Development 

Financial Stability Review - Deutsche Bundesbank

Annual Report - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Federal Reserve Publications - there are several US Federal Reserve Banks, and each has its own site:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Minneapolis New York, San Francisco, St. Louis

Other Websites

Worldwide Economics Departments & Research Centers - links to various centers of economics research.

Research Papers in Economics -  working papers from international researchers.

Swiss Statistics - Swiss government statistical website.

German Statistics - from the German Federal Statistical Office. In English.

Italian Statistics - from the Italian National Institute of Statistics. In English.

National Bureau of Economic Research - US-based portal to economics research. Some papers have an access fee.

Economics Periodicals

All the newspapers, journals, and magazines listed below are located in the Reference/Reading Area at Grace Library. Many more journals are available full-text or in citation in Franklin's subscription databases. Check our journal finder to see if we have subscriptions to specific journals online or in print.

• American Economic Review
  
• Business Week
• The Economist
• Economics of Transition
  
• Financial Times
• Foreign Affairs
• Journal of Economic Literature
  
• Journal of European Economic History
• Orbis
• Wall Street Journal