Economics is going to share a lot of resources with finance, although this certainly does not mean that they are the same.  Economics focuses on the dynamics of supply and demand, which is a huge part life on earth, not to mention Capitalism. Economics is also related to the social science, and has as much to do with behavior as it does with finite resources.
 
The subject guides for business, finance, insurance, and accounting or others may be of interest as well.
 
 
 
 
EBSCO
As ever, EBSCO is a great way to do research.  It is actually an aggregator, and that means that it searches lots of different databases at the same time.  For business-related information, one might want to select these particular ones (to avoid getting irrelevant hits):
 
Academic Search Premier
Business Source Complete
Environment Index
Legal Collection
Newspaper Source
Regional Business News
Military & Government Collection
Vente et Gestion  (business journals in French)
Economia y Negocios  (business journals in Spanish)
Hospitality & Tourism Index
Academic Search Complete
 
 
Electronic Journals
This allows you to browse ULM’s available journals by name, so you can know very quickly whether or not we have the publication you want.
 
 
JSTOR - The scholarly journal archive
There are many journals on JSTOR-- it means "Journal storage."  You can search by issues and genres, and inside the article text itself.  JSTOR brings you journal pages just as they appear in print-- and just about as usefully.
 
 
LexisNexis Academic Search
LexisNexis has devoted a specific part of its powerful database interface to Business research (accessible by clicking the corresponding link on the left of the front-page).  Using it will be extremely useful as it has detailed company information, news, journals, and more.  Also, don't forget the general news or the Legal Research option.
 
 
Mergent Online
This resource can produce a lot of things, including very detailed profiles of companies with codes, numbers, recent stocks, contact information, summaries of what they are, financial info, competitors, and more.  Do remember, though, that it only goes back as far as 1997.  If you want to dates earlier than that, you'll have to use the print version.  As this time, they are shelved in the stacks.
 
 
 
 
The CIA World Factbook
The CIA World Factbook is useful even for general reference purposes.  It is a very fast way to find out about the economic condition of a country and other useful things, like transportation, in surprising detail.  This resource is also sometimes available in print.
 
 
Economic Census
A part of the Census website which has data on the US economy and is updated every 5 years.  Its data is accessible by industry, year, and NAICS codes, and there are FAQs and other ways of getting questions answered.
 
 
Economic and Demographic Fact Book
The 2007 Edition of the Annual Economic and Demographic Fact Book for Northeast Louisiana-- ULM's very own!  This has market data related to Ouachita Parish and is accessible to the public.
 
 
International Economic Accounts
This site carries information on trade, investment, financial flows, and more.  This data can be displayed in text in MS Excel or in the browser, and there is news in plain text.  This is a part of the Bureau of Economic Analysis , which is also rather useful itself.
 
 
Quarterly Financial Report (QFR)
A part of the U.S. Census site, this "provides up-to-date aggregate statistics on the financial position of U.S. corporations."  It is meant to be used to monitor the strength of the U.S. economy.
 
 
Survey of Income and Program Participation
Here is more information from the U.S. Census Bureau.  This website has information on "the income and program participation of individuals and households in the United States, and about the principal determinants of income and program participation."  This can be used to indicate how well a government program is doing considering its costs.
 
 
TradeStats Express.™
This site displays data on U.S. merchandise trade statistics (exports) using graphs, maps, and text.  One can choose what data should be on the visuals, and they will be made to show those fields.  Data is available from 1989 onwards, and the data covers individual U.S. states and other countries as well.
 
 
 
 
Economic Data - FRED®
This database, which is free to access, has data on more than 3000 U.S. economic time series and for different categories (economic data, employment, banking, etc.).  \Data can be displayed on a graph in your browser, or downloaded in Excel or text form.
 
 
The Library of Economics and Liberty
This website has articles, news, links, and various other things (like famous economists' birthdays).  On its "books" page there are many out-of-copyright classic books which are browse-able by various fields but can also be searched).  This can be useful if ULM doesn't have the book you want or if you are unable to visit.
 
 
Macroeconomic Time Series Data Source Locator
If you can't find the time series data you need using other resources, this website may be able to help you find out where you need to look by data, location, and category.  A link at the end of the category check boxes will also show a short glossary defining those categories.
 
 
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
This organization keeps demographic statistics on the effects of economic conditions on families and individuals.  There is detailed information on how to use the site and on PSID itself.  Data can be accessed by selecting fields or in entire archives.  There is also a bibliography showing where PSID data has been quoted.
 
 
Resources for Economists on the Internet (RFE)
This like a portal for economics information, and is sponsored by the American Economic Association.  The links are grouped by category, and there are sub-categories for some ("Data" has several, of course). Apart from the very useful links, there is also a section with listings for conferences.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dictionary of economics
Author:   Shim, Jae K.
Publisher:      J. Wiley & Sons,
Pub date:       c1995.
Call:  HB61 .S466 1995       
This dictionary is concise and quick, but also shows examples of how the words are used in the definition.  Some entries come with graphs and "see" references to other entries, and there are some pages of tables with percent changes.
 
 
Handbook of research design and social measurement
Author:    Miller, Delbert Charles, 1913-
Publisher:      Sage Publications,
Pub date:       c1991.
Call:  H62 .M44 1991
How do they get all these statistics, anyway?  This explains how to properly read, create, and understand social statistics on given subjects.  Written like a handbook, there is a lot of text often broken into numbered lists and headings.  There are tables and charts, and frequent references and notes.  There is an index to names, but subjects must be found through a table of contents.
 
 
International encyclopedia of statistics
Author:    Kruskal, William, 1919-
Publisher:      Free Press,
Pub date:       c1978.
Call:  HA17 .I63
It may seem old, but the entries in this encyclopedia are almost entirely mathematical.  There is a list of articles in the front, signed articles with their own bibliographies and sometimes extra readings, "see" referrals, and tables and equations.
 
 
The New Palgrave : a dictionary of economics
Author:    Eatwell, John.
Publisher:      Stockton Press,
Pub date:       c1987.
Call:  HB61 .N49
As it is several volumes long and has lengthily entries, this is best described as an encyclopedic dictionary.  There is a list of entries in the front, "see also" referrals at the ends of entries, signed articles, bibliographies, and occasional equations, graphs, and tables.
 
 
Quadrilingual economics dictionary : English/American, French, German, Dutch
Author:    Jong, Frits J. de.
Publisher:      M. Nijhoff ;
Pub date:       c1980.
Call:  HB61 .J64
This is a dictionary of economics terms in English, German, French, and Dutch, should you need it.  Each language gets its own section.  Not all of the words are defined; simpler words are only translated.  When there are definitions, they are very concise.
 
 
State and metropolitan area data book
Author:    United States. Bureau of the Census.
Publisher:      U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census :
Pub date:       1980-
Call:  HA202 .S84
From the U.S. Census Bureau, this is a supplement to the Statistical Abstract of the United States and it shows statistics and maps of metropolitan and micro-politan areas of the U.S. by income, housing, population, and etc.  There are directions on how to use it in the front and a guide in the back explaining at length what terms used in the book mean, citing each definition.
 
 
 
The political economy of American industrialization, 1877-1900
Author:   Bensel, Richard Franklin, 1949-
Publisher:      Cambridge University Press,
Pub date:       c2000.
Call:  HC105 .B45 2000
A book on economic history; there are others like it that may require your attention.  There is heavy footnoting at the bottoms of the pages which cite and explicate.  Tables appear throughout and show data such as party affiliations and more.  Maps, charts, and chapters get their own individual contents lists in the front, and there is an index in the back.
 
 
Economic issues and policy
Author:    Brux, Jacqueline Murray.
Publisher:      Thomson/South-Western,
Pub date:       c2005.
Call:  HB171.5 .B8 2005
For quick access, there is a short table of contents and then another one that is long and detailed.  Each chapter covers an issue (environment, education, crime, etc.) and has graphs that are relevant to each.  At the ends of chapters there are discussion questions, bold terms are defined in the margins, and there are a glossary and an index.
 
 
Economics
Author:    Ekelund, Robert B. (Robert Burton), 1940-
Publisher:      Little, Brown,
Pub date:       c1986.
Call:  HB171.5 .E47
This textbook covers many aspects of economics, both "micro" and "macro."  Bold terms are defined in the page margins, and there are graphs, a few pictures, and an index. "Point-counterpoint" articles contrast ideas of great economic authorities (like Adam Smith versus Karl Marx).  The text also uses examples of economic concepts as they apply to everyday life.
 
 
Economics today. The macro view
Author:  Miller, Roger LeRoy.
Publisher:      Addison-Wesley,
Pub date:       c2003.
Call:  HB172.5 .M54 2003
Chapters are divided by subjects, which cover many concepts (supply and demand, economic growth and development, banking systems, etc.) and "Issues and applications" sections in them connect economics to real life.  There are definitions of words in the margins, graphs, color pictures, and in the back, answers to questions, a glossary, and index.
 
 
Economy and self : philosophy and economics from the mercantilists to Marx
Author:    Fischer, Norman, 1943-
Publisher:      Greenwood Press,
Pub date:       1979.
Call:  HB72 .F48
This is a philosophical economics book, and there are more like it.  Some chapters cover specific economic authorities (Kant, Marx, etc.), and later on they are on subjects.  The text sometimes uses bold paragraph headings, and there is a bibliography, index, and annotated notes.
 
 
Environmental and natural resource economics : a contemporary approach
Author:    Harris, Jonathan M.
Publisher:      Houghton Mifflin,
Pub date:       c2002.
Call:  HC79 .E5 H356 2002
Economics is all about scare resources, so there is a branch of it devoted to the scarcest of all.  This book's chapters are divided by subject and they cover many subjects:  energy, pollution, agriculture, world trade, and more.  It is illustrated largely by graphs and occasional black and white photos.  Footnotes appear on the pages they reference, and there are a glossary and index.
 
 
International economics
Author:    Carbaugh, Robert J., 1946-
Publisher:      South-Western College Pub. Co.,
Pub date:       c2000.
Call:  HF1359 .C37 2000
This is a straightforward 3-tone textbook that covers many aspects of international trade in detail.  It has a long contents page, tables, graphs, extra information to explicate them, questions, and an index.
 
 
Microeconomics
Author:   Waldman, Don E.
Publisher:      Pearson/Addison Wesley,
Pub date:       c2004.
Call:  HB172 .W35 2004
This textbook is largely about mathematics, so although there is color, it is not overused.  There is a short and concise table of contents on the inside cover of the book, followed later by a full contents list.  Bold terms are defined in the page margins, and there are many questions and problems that show common mistakes that students make.  Chapters are divided by concepts, and the annotated sources page is divided by chapter.  In the back of the book, there are also detailed answers to the questions, and an index.
 
 
Principles of economics
Author:  Case, Karl E.
Publisher:      Prentice Hall,
Pub date:       c2002.
Call:  HB171.5 .C3123 2002
This is a textbook in that can be a good introduction to economic, albeit not without some very good math skills.  It is illustrated in color with definitions for important terms in the margins, plus index and glossary.  Throughout the text are mathematical questions, and there are answers in the back.
 
 
Principles of microeconomics
Author:    Frank, Robert H.
Publisher:      McGraw-Hill/Irwin,
Pub date:       c2001.
Call:  HB172 .F72 2001
This a fairly concise lightweight book that uses color and illustration, but not too much besides graphs.  At the end of each chapter is a summary, key terms, questions, and problems.  Tiny cartoons in the margins sometimes appear with comprehension questions for the reader, and there is an index and a glossary.
 
 
Progress and poverty : an inquiry into the cause of industrial depressions and of increase of want with increase of wealth ; the remedy
Author:    George, Henry, 1839-1897.
Call:  HB171 .G27 1931      
This book is some sort of classic, an examples of many others, and ULM has many copies of it.  It contains writings on such topics as property, wages, labor, and more.  There is also an index, which is surprising.  (This book is also available for free at http://www.econlib.org/, among other places)
 
 

Of course, the topic you are researching will probably require more specific books and articles.  Don't feel limited to materials in your field alone, as others may be just as relevant for what you need to write.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I must acknowledge the assistance of these extremely useful pages:
http://www.bc.edu/libraries/research/guides/s-economics/
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/business/finance/default.htm
 
 
Also, please report promptly any ridiculous errors on this page to me: niemla@ulm.edu