ECNS 320 - Public Finance   Tags: course_guide, economics, statistics  

Accessing Databases from Off-Campus

To access the Libraries' databases and e-journals from off-campus, you can use your NetId username and password.  Alternatively, you can use your student ID number and library password.  More information about Library Passwords can be found here.

EndNote Web
This bibliographic management and formatting software can help you manage citations and references throughout the process of writing a research paper.

• Organize references to cite
• Format bibliographies in APA, MLA, Chicago, and hundreds of other styles
• Store references from Web of Science and other databases.

For more assistance with Endnote Web, consider attending a Wednesday Workshop session on the topic.  Workshop topics and dates and times can be found at http://www.lib.montana.edu/instruction/workshops.php

There are several statistics resources available on the web.  A few are below.

FedStats -This website compiles government statististics from over 100 agencies that are listed in the Statistical Programs of the United States.  You can locate data and trend information on economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more. Below are suggestions on how to navigate the site:

• Topics A to Z: More than 400 topics that range from acute conditions (colds and influenza) through weekly earnings.

• Program/Subject areas: Link to summaries of the major statistical programs including agriculture, education, energy, environment, health, income, labor, national accounts, safety, and transportation.

•  Agencies: If you know the name of the agency, you can select it from our agency list, browse key statistics, and look up contact information.

•  Search: Enter your key words or phrases. FedStats searches all of the linked agencies (or those you specify); then provides a list of links to the documents it finds. Our search database is updated twice per month for each agency web site. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics - BLS is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics.  This site contains a wealth of information on unemployment rates, consumer spending, pricing and inflation, pay and benefits, productivity and more.  It also has an International page which provides comparative data.

UN Data - For international data, you may want to visit the UN Data site.  Through a single interface, users can search and download data from  several UN statistical databases.

Europa World Plus - This is a library database where you can locate country information.  You can either view the full report of a country or select comparative statistics to compare statistical information between countries.

Additional tips:

If looking specifically for government data, go to the Google advanced search and enter .gov in the Search within a site or domain. Enter your search terms and click on search.  Below is an example.

Research Articles provide discussion and analysis on a variety of topics.  Below are a few resources you many want to consult to locate articles by economists that discuss your topic.

EconLit - This database indexes over 685 economic journals as well as books, conference proceedings, dissertations and conference proceedings. 

Social Science Citation Index- This database includes bibliographic information, author abstracts, and cited references found in over 1,950 social science journals.  It covers social and behavioral sciences, including management, law, and economics.

NBER Working Papers - The National Bureau of Economic Research s a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to promoting a greater understanding of how the economy works. Their publications include working papers, the NBER Reporter and Digest and more. 
NOTE: These articles are not peer-reviewed but more often written by practitioners in the field.

Economics Research Network - This is a collection of working papers produced by a large number of organizations including the Federal Reserve Banks, several economic research centers and selected. university economic departments
NOTE: These articles are not peer-reviewed.  Also if you see " eDocument is available, fee may apply",  do not pay the fee.  The library may have access to these articles or can obtain them for you from Interlibrary Loan.