UK Data Service: The UK Data Service is a comprehensive resource funded by the ESRC to support researchers, teachers and policymakers who depend on high-quality social and economic data.
Here you will find a single point of access to a wide range of secondary data including large-scale government surveys, international macrodata, business microdata, qualitative studies and census data from 1971 to 2011.
International Monetary Fund (IMF): The IMF oversees the international monetary system and monitors the financial and economic policies of its members. It keeps track of economic developments on a national, regional, and global basis, consulting regularly with member countries.
World Bank: The World Bank offers free access to comprehensive, downloadable indicators about development in countries around the globe.
Penn World Tables: The PWT provides times series data on many countries and regions, focusing on levels of income, output, inputs and productivity.
Working papers, or discussion papers as they are sometimes known, are documents which are a “work in progress”.
They are published as a means of sharing ideas and inviting comment and are often used as a precursor to peer reviewed journal articles. Although they are not the definitive article, they are still at the cutting edge of research.
Working papers have particular importance in the area of economics. Below is a selection of working papers which are available as either databases or via the web.