45-752 – Macroeconomics
Some library help for your upcoming assignment:
- If you’re off campus, login here first to use the databases.
Databases:
- World Development Indicators (from the World Bank) - you will first choose your country, then your “series” (choose from 869 variables; expand the categories to see them all) , and then your time frame; ultimately you'll get a spreadsheet that you can download; mapping is also an option.
- International Financial Statistics (from the IMF) - despite the fact that this database appears useless at first, it actually has a phenomenal amount of data, so it is worth reading the following explanation. Important hint: when you start, and then whenever you think this needs a reset, click first on "Options" and then "Restore to system default settings." (Trust me.) Also, at the beginning, you may want to change the default "Retrieval Period" to a longer one - it's right under the "Log off" link. Then, click on "Browse" and then "Country Tables." Select your country, and you will see hundreds of variables appear. Check off all the codes you want, click on the plus sign (after the word "Series") and then on "Retrieve." You can create a spreadsheet of whatever you have selected.
- LexisNexis Statistical Datasets - thousands of datasets in a wide range of categories; for countries other than the U.S., open the "International" category. When you select a specific variable, you'll see frequency (yearly, monthly, weekly or daily) and time span at the top. Tools for mapping, graphing, analysis and exporting are available. For the source of each data element, click on "Citations."
- EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) reports can be found in the ProQuest database. For individual countries, the specific EIU report with annual time series data is called "CountryData." How to find it: in the search box at the top, enter the country name, and in the box where it says "Publication title" enter: eiu. Click Search, and then scroll through the reports until you see the one called "CountryData" - where there is an an option to download a spreadsheet. There are 368 variables, covering 1980 to the present. Other reports may also be of interest.
- Get quick authoritative explanations of terms (such as "real exchange rate" and "terms of trade") from reputable economics dictionaries in this database.
Some other sources:
- LABORSTA - from the International Labour Office, labor data for 200 countries, from 1969 to the present.
- Links to central banks for each country - which often have a statistical section for economic and financial data.
- International Economic Statistics Database (St. Louis Fed) - worldwide economic indicators, linking to original sources.
- OECD - both historical data from 1950 and projections to 2030 for 30 primarily developed countries.
- Penn World Table (Univ. of Penn.) - national accounts denominated in a common set of prices in a common currency so that real quantity comparisons can be made, both between countries and over time. It also provides information about relative prices within and between countries, demographic data and capital stock estimates. The latest release covers 189 countries, 1950-2007, with 2005 as base year.
- OANDA Foreign Exchange Rates - daily rates for 164 currencies (and gold, silver and platinum) from1990 to the present.
- A guide to doing more general Country Research using our library resources.
- Econstats - aggregator of international official datasets
Questions?
Contact the librarians: