Library Resources in International Political Economy

This guide serves as a basic research tool for locating information on library resources in International Political Economy (IPE).

Secondary Sources: Search Engines & Catalogs | General Databases | Economics & Political Science Databases | International & Regional Databases | Major IPE Journals

Primary Sources: Government Information | Newspapers | Statistics & Numeric Data | Poverty & Development | Scholarly Web Content

Secondary Sources

The following sources can help you in finding to books, journal articles, government documents, newspapers, microfilm and other resources. Use these sources to familiarize yourself with your topic and consult the reference section or bibliography to help you identify primary source materials.

Pathinder and Gladis. UC Berkeley libraries catalog. The telnet version Gladis has some features like detailed holdings information that can be important for historical research, e.g. volume numbers for large sets or reels of microfilm.

Melvyl. Catalog for all UC Campus libraries. Includes libraries on campus not in Pathfinder, e.g. the Boalt Law Library and Institute of Governmental Studies.

Google Scholar. This search engine functions as both a key word database for articles and books. It automatically connects you to some licensed content held by the UC libraries. Search this source before all others.

General & Multidisciplinary Databases

The following general databases are excellent sources for getting started on your topic. Also see the Library Electronic Resource Finder from the library home page for additional subjects and topics. Configure your browser according to the library proxy server service for access to databases from off campus.

Expanded Academic ASAP. Indexes over 9 million articles from popular magazines, general interest journals, scholarly journals and newspapers in the humanities, social sciences, and general sciences.

Google Scholar. This search engine functions as both a key word database for articles and books. It automatically connects you to some licensed content held by the UC libraries. Search this source before all others.

LexisNexis Academic. Includes over 6,000 individual titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters.

JSTOR. Full text of nearly 600 scholarly journals, including more than 70,000 issues, on a wide range of scholarly subjects.

Research Library (ProQuest). Indexes more than 2,500 magazine and journals on art, business, humanities, health, social sciences, and sciences. Interfaces available for many languages.

Web of Science. Indexes over 8,000 of the leading journals in the arts, humanities, sciences and social sciences, providing searching of footnoted citations. Includes the Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index, and Social Sciences Citation Index.

Economics, History & Political Science Databases

The UC Berkeley library databases are listed in the Electronic Resources Finder. Look under as Economics and Political Science as subject types to get a listing of article databases.

America History & Life. Indexes journals worldwide on the history of the US and Canada. Includes English-language history journals; selected international journals, state, and local history journals; and a selection of journals in the social sciences and humanities.

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online). Indexes journals, books, policy briefs, working papers, and conference proceedings from research institutes worldwide related to international affairs analysis and advocacy materials.

Econlit. Comprehensive index to scholarly journal articles in economics. It also lists books and dissertations, and indexes articles within 'collective works' (books consisting of collections of essays or individual papers).

Geography. Database with excellent coverage of the international literature in international economic development and public policy issues. Coverage from 1990 to the present.

Historical Abstracts. Indexes journals, book reviews and dissertations worldwide about all aspects of world history (excluding US and Canada) from 1450 to the present

IDEAS. Largest bibliographic database on economics on the Internet, this site offers citations to thousands of full-text economics working papers and articles from peer-reviewed economics journals.

Industrial Development Abstracts. From the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Covers industrial governance, technology, small business development, environmental management, agro-industries and industrial energy

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. Multidisciplinary database indexing journals, books, chapters, and reviews in economics, political science, and sociology, from more than 100 countries.

PAIS International & Archival. International database for materials in public affairs. Topics include agriculture, banking, demographics, the environment, finance, government, law, and political science.

Policyfile. Index to public policy in the areas of economics, politics, the environment, and social issues, taken from reports from a wide range of thinks tanks, Non-governmental organizations, international governmental organizations, and other institutions worldwide.

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Indexes books, journals, and dissertations in the field of political science and related to international relations, law and politics, political economy, public administration, and public policy.

ABSEES Online Database. Indexes journal articles, books, dissertations, government publications, and online resources on East and Central Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. Covers recent years of the print equivalent, American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies.

Africa-Wide NiPAD. Multi-disciplinary resource on Africa including an electronic version of African Studies Abstracts, which contain more than 353,000 references from 19th century - present.

Allafrica.com. Contains articles from 120 news publications throughout Africa. Also includes press releases and documents from 200 governments and non-governmental organizations in and outside of Africa.

Bibliography of Asian Studies (BAS) (UCB Access Only). Contains records on all subjects (especially humanities and social sciences) pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia published worldwide from 1971 to the present.

Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS). Citations in the area of Latin American studies from journals, books, and conferences. Coverage from 1935. Sources are selected and annotated by scholars from the Library of Congress.

Index Islamicus. (UCB Access Only). Indexes literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Over 3,000 journals are included, together with conference proceedings, monographs, multi-authored works and book reviews.

Quarterly Index to Africana Periodical Literature. Index, published by the Library of Congress Nairobi Office, covers over 300 selected periodicals from 29 African countries. Also includes publications of non-governmental organizations

Major Journals in International Political Economy

The following are examples of IPE Journals. Articles from these sources are indexed in the database listed above. If any of the links do not work please email the Doe Library Economics Librarian or simply look up the titles in the Melvyl Database.

Business and Politics. Focuses on the interaction between firms and political actors, non-market corporate strategy, and efforts by policy makers to influence firms through government instruments.

Foreign Affairs. From the Council on Foreign Relations, a non-profit and nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs through the free exchange of ideas.

Global Governance. Published in association with the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the United Nations University (UNU).

International Affairs. Britain's leading journal of international relations and global policy issues. Founded by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London

International Organization. Covers foreign policy, international relations, international and comparative political economy, security policies, environmental disputes, European integration, alliance patterns and war, bargaining and conflict resolution, economic development, and international capital movements.

International Studies Quarterly. Official journal of the International Studies Association.

Journal of Conflict Resolution. Interdisciplinary journal of social scientific research and theory on human conflict.

Journal of Economic Perspectives. From the American Economic Association, "an accessible source for state-of-the-art economic thinking."

Review of International Political Economy. Multidisciplinary journal with articles on international trade and finance, production and consumption, and global governance and regulation, in conjunction with issues of culture, identity, gender, and ecology.

Third World Quarterly. Influential journal covering the emerging world, providing an in-depth analysis of multidisciplinary development issues.

World Development. Influential multidisciplinary journal on development studies.

The World Economy. Focuses on trade policy, international trade and the environment, international finance, trade and development, economies in transition, and development economics.

World Politics. Articles in international relations, comparative politics, political theory, foreign policy, and modernization.

Primary Sources

A primary source is widely defined as an account of an eyewitness to an historical event, but in practice it can include diaries, pamphlets. letters, newspapers, and government documents. The library has an exhaustive research guide on the topic as well as a guide to finding and evaluating primary sources on the web. The following are some sources of interest to this class.

The government documents collections at the UC Berkeley comprise a huge collection of primary sources from all over the world. See the Government Information Pages for more information. The following guides may be of special interest:

European Union Internet Sources. Guide to researching the European Union.

International Monetary Fund Research Guide. Basic research tool for documents and statistics of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Introduction to Globalization. Basic research guide on researching globalization.

International Organizations, Economic Development & Poverty. Research guide on the work of international organizations in economic development & poverty.

International Organization Subject Guides. Guides to the work of International Organizations on a variety of topics: human rights, economic development, public health, and more.

International Trade & Financial Institutions. Outline of information from international financial institutions, e.g. the World Bank, IMF, WTO, and regional development banks.

NonGovernmental Organizations. Research guide for finding and evaluating NonGovernmental organizations. Includes links to UN related agencies.

Regional Development Banks. Links to the world's major regional development institutions.

United Nations Internet Resources. Guide to the organizational structure of the United Nations with links to major search engines and research strategies.

World Bank Research Guide. Comprehensive guide for researching the World Bank.

Doe library has an immense collection of current print and historical newspapers on microfilm housed in the newspaper and microfilm collection the first floor of Doe library. See the library page on finding newspapers for information on how to find world newspapers.

ABYZ News Links. Portal to online news sources from around the world. The database is primarily composed of links to online newspapers, but also includes many broadcast stations, internet services, magazines, and press agencies.

Access World News. Full text of U.S. and international news sources from over titles worldwide, most in English. A clickable may enables the user to view and select individual countries and news sources.

allAfrica.com. Contains over 700,000 articles from 120 news publications throughout Africa. Also includes press releases and documents from 200 governments and non-governmental organizations in and outside of Africa. 30% of articles are in French

Factiva. General and business news from more than 9,000 sources. Includes The Wall Street Journal (1979-present), the Financial Times, Dow Jones and Reuters newswires and the Associated Press, as well as Reuters Fundamentals, and Bureau van Dijk company profiles.

Mideastwire.com. Brief English translations of Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian news articles from 22 Arab countries, Iran and the Diaspora.

ISI Emerging Markets. Indexes over 15,000 information sources local and international sources from more than 83 emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Features news articles, company data, financial statements, industry analyses, equity quotes, macroeconomic statistics, and market-specific information.

LexisNexis Academic. Over 6,000 titles of international, national and local newspapers and wire services; radio and television transcripts; and business, medical, industry, and legislative magazines, journals, and newsletters. See the sources section for information on country and region reports, including risk analysis.

Newspaper Titles Database. Database of more than 20,000 newspaper titles from over 150 countries dating back over 350 years. This is a useful source for identifying the titles of newspapers from a region during a given time period. Once you have a title use Pathfinder or Melvyl to find library holdings.

ProQuest Newspapers. Indexes the New York Times (1999-present), Los Angeles Times (1985-present), Wall Street Journal (1982-present).

World News Connection. Translations of radio and television broadcasts, periodicals and newspapers from around the world. The material serves the needs of US government agencies, so is strong in the fields of politics, economics, & military affairs.

Statistics & Numeric Data

The following is a selection of statistical sources that may be of interest. For additional resources please see the UC Berkeley library guide to International Statistics and the Doe Library Numeric Data Lab.

Africa South of the Sahara: African Statistics. Excellent and comprehensive gateway site for links to data on Africa.

China Data Online. Monthly and annual macroeconomic statistics, city and county data, industrial sector data, and census updates for China. Click "direct access for institutional users."

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Country Reports and Profiles.  Annual and quarterly analysis of the political and economic situation for more than 180 countries, from 1996 to present.

Direction of Trade Statistics. Statistics on the value of merchandise exports and imports by trade partners for 250 countries, as well as area and world aggregates showing trade flows from 1980 to present. NOTE: for data from 1948 to 1980 please consult the of Trade Statistics Historical CD ROM, available from any Berkeley library public workstation.

Eurostat. Publications and statistics from the EU, with data in economics, population, agriculture, trade, transportation, and the environment. (Logon permits enhanced downloads. Ask at the Doe Reference Desk or contact the International Documents Librarian).

Foreign Trade Statistics. Monthly statistical reports, imports and exports by country, trade balances, commodity trade.  Also contains historical data back to 1991, from the U.S. Census Bureau

FAOSTAT. Statistical databases covering agriculture, food production, trade, forest products, fisheries and more. Data is free but additional data points can be acquired through use of a password. See the International Documents Librarian for assistance.

Global Financial Database. (UCB Only). Long runs of historical data on security markets and macroeconomic indicators for over 150 countries. Includes economic sector indices.

International Financial Statistics (IFS). Time series data from the International Monetary Fund: exchange and interest rates, balance of payments, national accounts, prices, and more.

Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (UCB Only). Consortium of institutions sharing social science data. Includes survey and census data, elections, economic and political data.

LABORSTA: ILO Database on International Labor Statistics. International labor statistics from 1979 to the present on employment, earnings, wages, strikes and more.

International Data Base. From the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics for demographic, and socioeconomic data for countries and areas of the world. Information dates back from 1950 and as far ahead as 2050.

Lexis/Nexis Statistical. Index and abstracts from the American Statistics Index (ASI), Statistics Reference Index (SRI)], and Index to International Statistics (IIS). Materials on ASI and IIS are on fiche in GREF. Materials in SRI are on fiche at the Business Library.

Official Statistics on the Web. Access to social, economic and general data from official government sources.  Includes statistical offices, central banks and government agencies. Features a good subject list.

SourceOECD. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Includes data on economics and finance, trade, telecommunications, development, foreign aid, migration, and other categories.

United Nations Statistical Common Database. Wide range of economic, social, cultural, and demographic indicators for most countries.

World Development Indicators (UCB Only). Time series data from 1960 for 207 countries in the areas of population, labour, education, economics, the environment and much more. First choice for many statistical indicators.

Poverty Resources

See also the research guide on International Organizations, Economic Development & Poverty.

Human Development Report Library. HD72.H8: Main. Latest in Doe Ref - Gov/Stat. The web site includes the UNDP flagship publication the Human Development Report, as well as national human development reports from over 250 countries and regions.

Least Developed Countries Report. HC59.7.L3219: Main - Latest in Doe Ref-Gov/Stat.

Rural Poverty Knowledgebase. Portal of projects and programmes on poverty issues affecting countries world wide. From the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Rural Poverty Portal. Excellent portal also "powered by" the International Fund for Agricultural development on a wide range of poverty issues, country reports and development strategies, from international agencies world wide, including development banks and other international organizations.

PovertyNet. Gateway to World Bank Poverty measurement, analysis and reduction strategies. Includes topical and country listings as well as data on poverty and inequality.

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). UN agency conducting research on the social dimensions of world development. Includes hundreds of documents on a wide range of social development issues.

World Bank E-library (UCB Access Only). Database for hundreds of full-text World Bank publications. Topics covered include economics, public policy, education, international development, gender, the environment, and more.

Selected Scholarly Web Content

E.H.Net. Web site providing resources for scholars in economic history and related fields. Includes bibliographies, book reviews, databases, and historical datasets.

History of Economic Thought Web Site. Repository of collected links and information on the history of economic thought, from the ancient times until the modern day

International Political Economy Network. Includes links to IPE journal, scholars, blogs, and more.

ISN: Research Institutions in International Security and Related Fields. Organized by regions, this site offers links to research institutes and think tanks throughout the world.

Resources for Economists on the Internet. Sponsored by the American Economics Association. Includes an Economics Search Engine.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources. Closest thing to a comprehensive gateway site for International Affairs.

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