Data

Dataverses and Data-Hunting Tips

When we're looking for data, these are some of the first places we start.

If you have any data-hunting tips or dataverses you think should be up here, let us know by emailing crl2 (at) williams (dot) edu.

Data sources compiled just for you (yes, you)

The Library at Williams has compiled a list of data sources and guides for CDE grads that you can still access after graduation. Here's what Walter Komorowski, the librarian compiling these resources, says:

Although most of our resources are available only to current faculty. students, and staff, there are a few subscribed resources and a number of free resources that can help you wih your research. Please note that this guide is a living document and will be updated in response to suggestions/questions. Also note that the availability of a resource will depend on the country from which you are trying to access it. If you have questions, feel free to contact me by email [email protected].

Data sources recommended by the Williams College Economics Department

(pulled directly from the Department website)

Data.gov. A searchable repository of over 180,000 data sets produced by U.S. government executive branch agencies.
NBER data page.
"Resources for Economists on the Internet" Data Page.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Williams College has a subscription to ICPSR, which gives us access to a very large number of important data sets through the ICPSR web site. You will need to register to use the data there, but it is free. ICPSR has both a large collection of raw data sets useful for economic research, as well as a "Publication Related Archive" that has hundreds of data sets used in published articles that could be used for a replication exercise.
The Dataverse Network. A web project that provides access to a large number of data sets that have been used in academic research articles, including many economics-related data sets.
- Harvard IQSS Dataverse Network.
Steven Lehrer's "Links for Economists." Includes links a wide variety of sources of data and research-related resources.
Data and Story Library - Online library of data files and stories that illustrate the use of basic statistics methods with real-world examples.

Gapminder:

An organization started by Swedish statistician Hans Rosling that aims to combat global ignorance. Gapminder brings together indicators from a range of cross-country sources in an easy-to-use format. If you're looking for a place to start, you can get a lot of ideas here, and can get a good idea for global trends.

If you're looking for data about environment, health, energy, gender, economy, demograph, and governance, Gapminder probably has some indicators pulled from data sources that will help move you in the right direction.