Economics

General Purpose of the Collection

The Economics collection is designed to support the curriculum and research needs of students and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Economics Department, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Questrom School of Business‘ Finance Department. While most of the collection is housed in Mugar Memorial Library, related material may be found in Pardee Management Library. Subject coverage is broad-based and includes: economic history, econometrics, game theory, public finance, public enterprise, international trade and finance, labor economics, health economics, development economics, industrial organization, regional economics, microeconomic theory and macroeconomic theory, and economic regulation. Students and researchers in many areas of the University use the Economics collection including those in political science, public administration, history, international relations, law, sociology, and geography.

Boston University offers degrees in economics including the following: BA, BA/MA, BA/MA in Economics & Mathematics, MA in Economics, MA in Economic Policy, MA in Global Development Economics, MA/MBA, and MA in Political Economy/PhD.

Research centers within or related to the Economics Department have been formed to emphasize specialized areas of study. The Institute for Economic Development reflects the interests in economic transformations in developing countries. The Industry Studies Program is devoted to studying the economic organization of markets, firms, and industries, especially in health care and telecommunications markets. The African Studies Center carries on interdisciplinary research and training programs in economics, political science, history, and anthropology.

Scope of Coverage

Languages collected (primary and selective) or excluded

Primary emphasis is upon English-language works, but Spanish-language works are collected selectively.

Geographical areas covered by the collections in terms of intellectual content, publication sources, or both, and specific areas excluded, as appropriate

To support the interdisciplinary and international study of economics, works are acquired that cover all geographic areas with the exception of material about Africa, which is collected by the African Studies Library.

Chronological periods covered by the collection in terms of intellectual content, movements or schools, and specific periods excluded, as appropriate

All significant movements or schools are covered, although emphasis is upon current thought, movements, and schools. In terms of economic history, the current twenty years are emphasized.

Chronological periods collected in terms of publication dates, and specific periods excluded, as appropriate

The emphasis is on current publications, however significant works with older publication dates may be acquired upon request.

General Subject Boundaries and Library Locations

Because economics is an interdisciplinary subject, various aspects of the subject are in several parts of the Library of Congress Classification System.

The scope of the Economics collection generally falls into the following classifications:

Collected:

• HA : Statistics (as related to economics)
• HB : Economic theory and demography
• HC : Economic history and conditions
• HD 71-88 : Economic growth, development, and planning
• HD 101-2299 : Land use, agriculture
• HJ : Public finance
• Z 7164.E12 – Z 7164.E2 : Econometrics, economic development, forecasting, policy, international economic relations and economics bibliography

Collected Selectively:

• HF 1014-4055 : Balance of trade, economic geography, commodities, free trade, and commerce by region or country.
• HG 3810-4000 : Foreign exchange, international finance, and international monetary system.

Management materials in the HD-HJ classifications are housed in Pardee Management Library. Economics materials in the HA-HC classifications are generally located in Mugar Memorial Library, but some reference materials within those subject areas are located in Pardee Management Library. Works within the HB 3711-HB 3743 classification dealing with business or economic cycles may be found in Pardee Management Library.

Related subjects and Interdisciplinary Relationships

African Studies

The African Studies selector acquires works related to the economies of African countries.

Computer Science

The Economics selector may consult with the Computer Science selector on works that overlap between the two subject areas, such as the economic aspects of computing.

General Science/Environmental Science

Works on environmental policy in the context of economic development may be collected by the Economics selector.

Government Documents

The Government Documents selector collects economic studies or publications about economics published by local, state, national, and international governments. These publications may be found in Mugar Memorial Library or Pardee Management Library.

History

The Economics Selector may collect materials on contemporary economic history. Except for major works, the History Selector does not generally acquire works on economic history. These materials are housed in Mugar Memorial Library.

Management

The Management selector collects works falling into the HD-HG section of the Library of Congress Classification System and works in collaboration with the Economics selector to ensure those works about applied economics are acquired selectively. Management materials can be found in Pardee Management Library.

Mathematics

The Mathematics and Economics selectors may consult on works that overlap between the two subject areas, such as probability and mathematical statistics as applied to research in the social sciences, for operations research, and mathematical finance.

Political Science

The Political Science selector collects all works about diplomacy and foreign relations, local government, and foreign aid falling within the J classification. These materials are located in Mugar Memorial Library.

Sociology

The Sociology selector acquires works dealing with the sociology of immigration, emigration, race relations, and women’s studies. These materials are housed primarily in Mugar Memorial Library.

Types of Materials

Collected

Journals, books, newspapers, proceedings and electronic resources; reference material including bibliographies, encyclopedias, and indexes.

Collected Selectively

Works that contain previously published articles, datasets, and economic history for periods prior to the current twenty years.

Not Collected

Audio-visual material and text-books.

Other On-Campus or Local Resources

The BU Law Library has a significant collection of economics-related material.

The Kirstein Business Library, a branch of the Boston Public Library, has an extensive collection of material related to business and economics. Materials are available in print and through online databases (some with remote access).

Krasker Film/Video Services provides instructional media support to University classes. Faculty can browse the online catalog and reserve any of more than 18,500 film and video titles from the Krasker collection for classroom use. Krasker also has an onsite previewing room at Mugar Memorial Library, basement level, 771 Commonwealth Avenue, equipped to screen all formats in the Krasker collection, including 16mm, VHS, Laser Disc, DVD, and Blu-ray.