Multilateral
Agencies The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) Now one of the most useful
sites around. Particularly valuable are the downloadable full-text
versions of the working paper and country reports series. This is a
necessary first stop for any research project whether topical or
country-based. Current data and some interested studies are available
through the access to a free downloadable version of World Economic
Outlook. Another useful site for
research on developed and developing economies. Clicking on "publications"
will connect the reader with the Digital Library, an online library of
full-text publications and summaries of major World Bank publications,
feature articles and abstracts from World Bank journals. The World Trade Organization (WTO) Not as valuable a resource as
the other United Nations organizations for the study of comparative
economics, but a good place to check on issues like the environment,
intellectual; property disputes, and regional trade issues. A first rate
document dissemination facility (DDF). The United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) A really excellent web page
largely because of the access it gives both to the Human Development
Report and to the a large number of national Human Development Reports.
The HDR gives access to the Human Development Index, an important
supplement to GDP statistics and indices of competitiveness in evaluating
economic success. The nations Reports are useful because they generally
include background pieces and descriptions of economic structure and
recent economic history. Coverage is, however, patchy, very good for
Europe east and west but poor for Asia and the Pacific. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and
Development Unlike the above sites the OECD
is not a part of the United nations system but it is probably the best
site available for information on developed countries, The statistical
series are comprehensive and standardized, and the OECD Surveys give a
wealth of information on economic systems, institutions, policies and
prospects.
Regional Commissions
of the UN The Regional Economic
Commissions of the United Nations are responsible for monitoring and
analyzing economic developments by region. They provide useful country
data and analysis, much of which can be obtained from their websites. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) A good starting point for work
on liberalization and reform in Africa. The site allows free access to the
ECA's annual report, a useful library, and good links. Economic Commission for Europe
(ECE) An excellent site for research
on recent developments in both the transition economies of Eastern Europe
and the member nation of the European Union. Much of the Annual Survey of
the ECE, which covers both western and eastern Europe is accessible from
this site as well as important selected charts and tables. Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC) A good jumping off point for
research on Latin America.. The Annual Survey is available here and is a
thoughtful document, with useful statistical appendices and tables. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) The Annual Survey provides a
good overview of the region, and the downloadable publications are an
excellent source for country by country analysis of financial sector
reform in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. For studies on particular
aspects of comparative economics the following websites of specific UN
agencies with functional rather than general responsibilities are
valuable: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) International Labour Organization
(ILO) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
(MIGA) UN Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) UN Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) UN Environment Programme (UNEP) UN Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO) UN Research Institute for Social Development
(UNRISD) UN Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS
(Habitat)) World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO)
Other
websites Columbia International Affairs
Online European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development Home | International Agencies | Areas of the
World | Economics 367 Syllabus Comments on this page: kennett@vassar.edu * Technical questions:
webmanager@vassar.edu
Some of the most valuable
resources to a researcher, because they are current, easily accessible and
by and large free, are the web pages of the major International
Organizations. The most useful single link that I have found is the page
of links for the United Nations
System. This will link you to the webpages of all of the
organizations of the United nations system. All of these links are useful
in researching the economic structure and system of a country but the most
relevant for the economist, and likely to be among the most durable links,
are the major multinational organization.
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