Economic Data | Links | Articles of Interest

Economic Data

Following is a list of websites that collect and make available various bits of data about the economy, both domestic and global.  Because where would economists be without our beloved data?

Economagic
This site aggregates a dizzying array of information from various sources, including the Fed, the BEA, and numerous state agencies.  A subscription is required for some services, like economic forecasts.

Bureau of Economic Analysis
The BEA releases estimates of GDP, personal income, and the balance of trade. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics
Not to be outdone, the BLS handles all manner of labor market and price data, including the unemployment rate, payroll reports, and the CPI.

Federal Reserve Board of Governors
Need information about monetary policy, market interest rates, the money supply, or bank mergers?  Go no further.

Census Bureau
The Census Bureau does more than just the decennial survey of American households and how we live.  It also produces a wide range of data on the domestic economy, including income and poverty estimates, construction measures, and demographic data.

TrackingX
Undergraduate students at Rutgers have created a website that follows economic indicators

Calculated Risk
Bill McBride has a website of economic indicators that ranks their usefulness and importance

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Links

Below are a few links of importance to all economists at any stage of education.

J-Stor
This is a repository of a wide variety of articles on various areas of interest, not just economics. 

The Economist
Despite its name, this British publication covers more than just economics, including international affairs, politics, culture, and science.

The American Economic Association
The AEA is the primary organization for U.S. economists of all stripes.

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Articles of Interest

Here we have some articles we enjoy and which should be of interest to all students of economics.

How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?
Paul Krugman

Professor Krugman, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics Sciences, discusses how economists failed to predict the bursting of the housing bubble and the subsequent financial crisis.

How I Became a Keynesian
Richard Posner

Judge Posner, currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh District in Chicago and an important figure in the law and economics field, relates how he came to appreciate the insights of John Maynard Keynes, despite having a very free market-oriented perspective on economics.

Rational Irrationality
John Cassidy

In finance, actions can be individually prudent yet collectively disastrous.

My System of Work (Not!)
Avinash Dixit

Reflections on how an economist works.

The Making of an Economist
David Colander and Arjo Klamer

How to turn a student into a professional economist.

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