1. Northeast-Midwest Institute, Washington, DC, http://www.nemw.org/ - A research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states.  It features links to economic data, economic reports, economic resources, and economic policy studies. The site also links to a publication entitled “Coming Clean for Economic Development [http://www.nemw.org/cmclean.htm].   This publication is a guidebook geared toward local officials to help them understand environmental laws and programs that may effect the economic development in their localities. 

2. PolicyLink, Oakland, CA, http://www.policylink.org/default.html - A nonprofit research, communications, capacity building, and advocacy organization dealing with achieving and sustaining equity in America.  PolicyLink is bringing together resources, partners, and information to craft policies and strategies that build the public will for change.  The website has a tab entitled “The Economy” [http://www.policylink.org/economy/index.html] that links the user to information on regional equity, investments for communities, the digital divide, community-labor partnerships, and related publications and hotlinks. Other tabs available from the homepage are “The Region”, “Technology”, and “Democracy”. 

3. United Nations, New York, NY, http://www.un.org/esa/index.html - The United Nations website section on economic and social development provides links to the following topics: African Development, Human Settlements, Prevention of Crime, Social Development, Trade, Environment, Narcotic Drugs, Public Administration, Statistics, Women, Human Rights, Population, Regional Cooperation, and Sustainable Development.  Each of these categories describes the related issues and concerns the UN is currently aware of, and also describes current research and programs being conducted. 

4. The World Bank, Washington, DC, http://www.worldbank.org/urban/ - The urban development section of the World Bank website provides links to the following topics: city development strategy, disaster management, land & real estate, local economic development, municipal finance, upgrading urban communities, urban poverty, and urban waste management.  Each link defines the importance of that topic to economic development and provides access to reports, publications and research.

5. The Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, DC, http://www.ppionline.org/ - A research and education institute with an economic & fiscal policy link [http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ka.cfm?knlgAreaID=125] that highlights articles dealing with issues and concerns around budget strategies, tax reform, work & income, and social security.  Additionally, the website links to a report entitled The New Economy Index [http://www.neweconomyindex.org/states/2002/index.html], a state index using 21 economic indicators to measure the differences in states’ economic development progress.  This information is useful for comparing and contrasting the various economic development issues and concerns between states.

6. US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC, http://www.hud.gov/ - this website has a link to economic development in communities [http://www.hud.gov/economicdevelopment/index.cfm] that then connects the user to HUD economic development programs and community renewal initiatives that describe economic development issues and concerns at a community level. 

7. US Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA), Washington, DC, http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/Default.htm - This website describes the government’s definition of the responsibilities of economic development and developers and provides links to current laws and regulations as well as to current EDA reports and publications concerning current economic development issues and concerns.  The site also links the user to each state’s economic development agencies [http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/HTML/2e_stateandloc.htm] as well as to state and local government agencies dealing with economic development issues. 

8. ACCRA, [location?], http://www.accra.org/ - A nonprofit organization economic and community development research organization.  The website has a “publications” link that leads users a newsletter, “Research in Review”, that provides the latest information on the trends and issues affecting community and economic development.  Additionally, users are linked to useful publications available for purchase via the ACCRA website. 

9. The University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development (UICUED) , Chicago, IL, http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/uicued/ - The UICUED’s mission is to analyze the unevenness of the urban economy and its implications for low-income and minority urban communities.  This website links to economic, workforce, and community development projects and research programs.  Although the majority of these publications are Chicago-centered, they provide good examples of prevalent development issues and concerns across the nation.

10. The International Economic Development Council (IEDC), [location?], http://www.iedconline.org/index.html - The IEDC is a result of the merger between the two largest national economic development organizations, the Council for Urban Economic Development and the American Economic Development Council. IEDC links to a resource center focused on economic development legislative affairs, news and issues, reference guides and hotlinks as well as links to economic development data and statistical resources [http://www.iedconline.org/resourcecenter_top.html].  

11. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Department of City and Regional Planning, Chapel Hill, NC, http://www.unc.edu/depts/dcrpweb/courses/261/topics.htm - This website offers an “economic development strategies” website with hotlinks to student-authored web pages on economic development strategies related to current economic development issues.

12. The University of Tennessee’s Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy journal, [Nashville, TN?], http://forum.ra.utk.edu/ - The quarterly policy journal’s website with links to all issues and articles.  This journal focuses on energy, the environment, economic development, and science and technology issues.

For many decades now, Internet has become the most efficient tool for information. It leads to different sources of information about a specific topic. The assessment of the World Wide Web for sites, which provide data and information concerning regional economic development, leads us to the following sites. They present diverse data about the topic. 

1- Statistical Data Locator, Nanyang Technological University, www.ntu.edu.sg/library/stat/statna.htm This site provides relevant economic growth and regional development data and information about the United States. The statistics vary from demographic to international trade and socio-economic data. The site offers a comparative data of the US and the world. It is linked to diverse economic data sites.

 2- State and Substate Data, Impressa Inc and Andrew Reamer & associates, www.econdata.net Aimed to provide data and information for economic development research, this site leads to important socioeconomic data about different states in the US. Data can be found at local and regional level. Moreover, this site is linked to many other economic development data sites. 

3- Economic Censuses, Federal Government, www.fedstats.gov/programs/economic.html This site is specialized in providing periodic data (every five years) and information about the federal economic agencies. Also, data about the different industries in the US (at local or regional level) can be found. Contrary to the two sites above, this site offers a few links and most of them are federal statistics agencies. 

4- Economic Development Data State by State, Oregon State University, http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/ This site leads to demographics and economic development data (Industry, international trade, agriculture, employment, GDP, etc) state by state in the US. It also offers sub states data (local and regional) for each state. One particularity of this site is the fact that it offers historical economic data. The most recent data on this site are from 1998. 

5-Missouri Economic Indicators, Missouri Department of Economic Development, www.ded.state.mo.us/business/researchandplanning/ On this site, we can find key economic development data (employment figures, industries, trades, demographics…) about the state of Missouri as an aggregate and its different regions. This site focuses only on Missouri economic figures. 

6- Ohio Economic Data, The Ohio State University, www.osuedc.org/current/links.html Primarily focused on Ohio and its regions economic data, this site also provides links to the US data.  The data are grouped by county, city or region. The US economic data on this site are presented state-by-state and sometimes subdivided by county.  

7- North Carolina Economic Development Statistics, North Carolina Department of Commerce, www.nccommerce.com/categories/statistics.htm This site provides demographics and economic development data about the state of North Carolina and its regions. The site aimed to provide data for policy research purposes and, for potential clients. Unlike the Ohio Economic Data, this site does not offer any link to other states data. 

8- Regional Economic data and issues, National Association for Business Economics (NABE) www.nabe.com/publib/links/regional.html This site, unlike other sites does not provide data. However it is linked to many economic development data sources from the census bureau to government and private sites. This site is very useful to gather economic data about the US and the different states. 

9- Western New York Region data, Western New York Regional Information Network (WNYRIN), University at Buffalo www.rin.buffalo.edu/s_data/db/econ.html This site offers economic development data on western New York region, New York state and US. The data are provided on county, city, region, and state level. Data vary from demographics to relevant economic data (Industries, Price Index, Trade, Tourism, etc).  

10- Global Socio-economic Data, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs http://unstats.un.org/unsd This site provides a worldwide key social and economic development data. Data vary from demographics to industrial and trade statistics. There is also a link to many countries’ economic statistic agencies. This site is really useful when looking for data for the world. 

11- worldwide Economic Statistics, The World Bank Group www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/countrydata.html Some important economic indicators data of the world can be found in this site sponsored by the World Bank Group. This site provides a cross-country comparison on economic development issues. Like many other sites, this site offers many links to other economic data sources. Data are grouped either by country or by topic.

The World Wide Web has led us to find many economic development data sites about the United States and the world. However, it is noticeable that most of the sites are linked to the same sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis, US Census Bureau, County and City Data Book, Fed stats, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Us Department of commerce, etc.  Although most of the data sites provide the same data, the internet constitutes a powerful tool for gathering data and information.

The page addressed by the URL http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml provides a directory listing of links to all Federal agencies in A-Z order. 

The page http://www.firstgov.gov/Agencies/State_and_Tribal.shtml Provides links to the sites of all state governments and other county, city and local websites.

 1.    Economic Development Administration (EDA), U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC

http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/ - The Economic Development Administration was setup in 1965 to generate jobs, help retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth in economically-distressed areas of the United States. The EDA site details EDA programs and funds, EDA grant requirements and process, and EDA study reports and publications. Reports and papers available under http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/html/1g3_researchrpts.htm are Economic Development policies. The site also provides links to Federal Agencies, State and Local Economic Development Sites and other National Organizations and Foundations. The place to start with, if you are adopting a top-down approach to agency searching. 

2.    Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC

http://www.mbda.gov/ - The Minority Business Development Agency’s mission is “to become an entrepreneurially focused and innovative organization, committed to empowering minority business enterprises for the purpose of wealth creation in minority communities”. The current page describes MBDA’s role in developing new, home, small, medium and large businesses. The page also contains links to current business and economic development articles in the online media.

3.    U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Washington, DC

http://www.sba.gov/ - The U.S. Small Business Administration, established in 1953, provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses. The site is an excellent one to start with if you are a small business entrepreneur and are looking for government funding programs. The site has links to business success stories, advice on startups, options for funds and the like. All SBA regional offices are listed.

4.    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington, DC

http://www.usaid.gov/ - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is a federal independent agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. The main page contains featured articles on USAID’s international efforts and programs.

5.    Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, US. Department of State, Washington, DC

http://www.state.gov/e/eb/  The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) formulates and carries out US. foreign economic policy, integrating US. economic interests with our foreign policy goals so that US. firms and investors can compete on an equal basis with their counterparts overseas. Site contains links to its functional divisions - Energy, Sanctions and Commodities, International Communications and Information Policy, International Finance and Development, Trade Policy and Programs, and Transportation Affairs.

6.    Rural Development, US. Department for Agriculture, Washington, DC

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/index.html - Rural Development commits to ”helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America”. Site contains links to different rural development programs and initiatives, strategic plans and success stories and state rural development agencies.

7.    The U.S. Trade and Development Agency, Arlington, VA

http://www.tda.gov/ - The U.S. Trade and Development Agency assists in the creation of jobs for Americans by helping U.S. companies pursue overseas business opportunities. The TDA’s activities are described in detail, categorized by regions and sectors.

The webpage - http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/html/2e1_statelinks.htm provides links to the various US. State Government agencies with economic development functions. 

8.    New Jersey Commerce & Economic Growth Commission, State of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ

http://www.state.nj.us/commerce/index.htm - Well organized site with an indexed listing of resources, including a resource center for statistical information relating to the state and a search function for locating business and office space in the city.

9.    The Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, State of Illinois, Springfield, IL

http://www.commerce.state.il.us/ - The Business tabbed page offers guides and tips to starting businesses, a “step-by-step manual to doing business” and details about Illinois’ incentive programs for business development.

10.   The Alabama Development Office, Alabama Center for Commerce, Montgomery, AL

http://www.ado.state.al.us/ - ADO claims to accomplish its mission through the active recruitment of new industry, support of existing industry expansion in the state, and the promotion of trade with other countries. The section “Alabama Means Business” offers an interesting menu of areas outlining Alabama’s relative advantages for businesses.

11.   The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Lansing, MI

http://medc.michigan.org/index_flash.asp?homepage=index.asp – MEDC’s web page is in contrast to Alabama’s and apparently among the best structured and informative of state economic development agency sites. It offers a corporate style “Live Chat Feature” for help seekers. The site prominently carries such news items like – “Michigan Named #1 Location for New and Expanded Business Facilities for the Fifth Year in a Row”. 

12.   The Enterprise Florida, Inc., Orlando, FL

http://www.eflorida.com/all_home.html - Enterprise Florida, Inc. is a partnership between Florida's government and business leaders and is the principal economic development organization for the State of Florida. The website is unique in that it provides different web content depending on who you are, for e.g. Florida firm, International firm, media. Potential entrepreneurs can fill out a “Business Assistance Form” for advice on setting up business in Florida.   

National Association of Regional Councils, Washington, D.C

www.narc.org - NARC (National Association of Regional Councils) web site provides listings and links to regional councils of government and metropolitan planning organizations by state. An interactive map within the Regional Information Clearinghouse page offers regional council listings by state with associated summary data on the conditions of each regional council.  The Economic Development Main Page offers articles, bookshelf recommendations, calendar of upcoming events, contacts, links and will soon include a listserve covering topics on economic development.  The links within economic development are arranged by topic: federal, non-federal, community development and planning, downtown revitalization, funding, local and state government, research, technology, training, and workforce development. 

Regional Economic Conditions (RECON), FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), Washington, D.C.

http://www2.fdic.gov/recon/index.html - The Regional Economic Conditions site provides economic information at the state, MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) and county levels.  The data can be accessed by a quick search by state and then using a drop down list by county or state.  The economic data can be accessed by table or chart and placed in a shopping cart for viewing or printing at the end of your session.  The economic data covers industry activity, real estate activity, and employment and income figures.

Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington, D.C

www.arc.gov - The Appalachian Regional Commission is a partnership of the 13 Appalachian States and federal government to create sustainable economic development and maintain quality of life for the Appalachian Region.  The site contains online resources to assist local communities with planning, data, and funding.  The business development topic page describes strategies for local communities regarding access to capital, educational training, and other technical assistance.  Within each strategy, there is a brief overview and links to organizations that assist communities within the area of interest.  In addition, the site contains current news effecting the region and online access to the Appalachia Magazine. 

Southeastern Economic Development Council (SEDC), Atlanta, GA

www.sedc.org - The Southeastern Economic Development Council is comprised of 17 member states in the Southern U.S.  The site contains a listing, brief description, and contact names for each of their committees.  A current copy of the SEDC newsletter is available for download.  Links are provided on the home page to current topics of interest.  The current topic is the Southern Legislators Honor Roll of Legislative Achievement in Economic Development.  The site also provides upcoming conferences and links to other professional development organizations. 

Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UICUED), Chicago, IL

http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/uicued - The mission of the Center for Economic Development at the University of Illinois is to analyze the inequalities of the urban economy and its implications for low-income and minority urban communities. This site contains written presentations and project summaries on economic development, workforce development, and community development strategies. 

The Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC), Mississippi State, MS

http://srdc.msstate.edu/ - The Southern Rural Development Center is one of four regional rural development centers.  SRDC works to link and strengthen the capacity of 29 land-grant institutions of the 13 southern states to address critical issues impacting the communities of the rural southern region.  The site provides full reports and abstracts on research conducted in the areas of workforce development, regional development issues, welfare reform, and rural health.  The site also provides links to other regional associations and centers committed to community and regional development. 

Mid-South Delta Initiative (MSDI), Pine Bluff, AR

http://msdi.org/ - The Mid-South Delta Initiative is partnership between Mississippi Delta communities in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.  The initiative focuses on 55 counties and parishes along the Mississippi providing support for economic development policy initiatives, project grants and technical assistance. The site offers news on MSDI and information on topics such as technology, funding opportunities and community development for organizations in the region.  The online Regional Research Directory allows for search by interactive map for listings of links to the organizations and resources available for each perspective county.

University of Kentucky Rural Studies Program (TVA Rural Studies Program), Lexington, KY

http://www.rural.org/ - The University of Kentucky Rural Studies Program conducts research on economic opportunities and problems in rural areas.  The site offers links to online publications covering topics of ongoing research in rural economic development strategies.  The Local Government Guide to the Internet located within this site provides a large database of compiled listings of sites helpful for local government.  The economic development topic within the guide offers multiple links to directories and organizations with additional information on various economic development strategies.

Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB), Research Triangle Park, NC  

http://www.southern.org/ - The Southern Growth Policies Board is a non-partisan public policy think tank formed by the governors from a 14 southern state region to address development of regional strategies for economic development and best practices to facilitate.  The site contains current news and events that pertain to the organization’s goals such as the Southern Innovation Index strategy.  The site offers online access to recent publications of the SGPB, a clearinghouse containing online articles on the emerging southern region’s economy, related policy papers and issue briefs.

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Oakland, CA 

http://www.abag.ca.gov/ - The Association of Bay Area Governments is the comprehensive planning agency for the San Francisco Bay region.  Their site offers online access to the Bay Area Economic Forum, the Bay Area Marketing Partnership, the Bay Area Regional Technology Alliance, and economic data and reports on the region.

Bay Area Economic Forum, San Francisco, CA  

 www.bayeconfor.org - The Bay Area Economic Forum is a non-profit, private-public partnership dedicated to fostering a competitive economic environment in the San Francisco Bay Area while enhancing the quality of life in the Bay Area region.   The site provides overviews on the ongoing projects of the region, online access to Bay Area Economic Forum reports, and downloads of Bay Area Economic Forum publications.

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin, TX 

http://www.austinchamber.org/ - The site offers online access to business resources such as economic indicators and highlights on the Central Texas region, venture capital statistics, and workforce development organizations in the region.  The site also includes information on the key characteristics and incentives driving growth and relocation to Austin.   

Central Savannah River Area Regional Development Center (CRSA RDC), Augusta, GA  

http://www.csrardc.org/csra/ - The CRSA RDC is a public sector planning agency that serves a 14 county and 46 city region in the eastern portion of central Georgia.  The site offers summary information on economic development services and projects available to assist the region.  The site also includes online access to county level economic data. 

Western Piedmont Council of Governments, Hickory, NC

http://www.wpcog.dst.nc.us/ - Western Piedmont Council of Governments is a regional organization governed by policy board of elected officials from the 28 local governments in the four county region of Western North Carolina.  The site offers general information about the organization, listings of programs and services available to the community for workforce development, and online access to publications concerning the economic development of the region. 

Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, MA 

http://www.mapc.org/ - The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is an economic development district responsible for developing a five-year comprehensive economic development strategy for the 101 communities in eastern Massachusetts.  The site includes online access to quick facts about the region, publications regarding the region, and their current newsletter.  The site also includes online access to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.  

The search for economic development agencies – regional and local – reveals a diverse group of agencies scattered throughout the world. European countries have the majority of these agencies, primarily United Kingdom. The other European countries publish their website in the local language and only some provide an English version, which is strange considering the clientele is foreign. Effort has been taken to review agencies from all over the world but African countries did not have a significant presence on the Web. The Asian presence is concentrated in Malaysia and other South Asian countries. National agencies have been excluded from this review. 12 of the best examples in terms of content, diversity and aesthetic have been presented below. 

1. Page Sponsor/Owner: The East of England Development Agency (EEDA). Established in April 1999, EEDA is one of nine regional development agencies created to bring a new focus to economic development and to build prosperity across the English regions.

URL: www.eeda.org.uk Description: the website provides extensive information regarding the partnerships and collaborations available for the six counties in the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. It also provides the visitor with business activity information in the region. The regional center section of the website lists all information pertaining to the six counties mentioned above, with links to county government offices. New releases and publications of the agency are also available. Useful resource and one-point contact listing for East England region. 

2. Page Sponsor/ Owner: Yorkshire Forward, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Development Agency, was created in April 1999 with the mission of revitalizing the region’s economy.

URL: www.yorkshire-forward.com Description: Lists the Regional Economic Strategy (RES) of the region and the plan-of-action can be found in the Regional Action Plan and the Sub-Regional Action Plan displayed prominently on the website. The website also provides exhaustive reports regarding the regions’ progress, ability to grow and attract businesses, improve education and environmental assets. It also provides information on UK's first e-campus in conjunction with University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and UfI (University for Industry). Provides links to all cities and town in Yorkshire and the private sector 

3. Page Sponsor/Owner: Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij, the mission of the BOM is to create, improve, maintain and develop the industrial structure in Noord-Brabant, Netherlands by offering a range of professional services.

URL: http://www.bom.nl/uk/index.html Description: The website list information about the services offered by the agency which includes free assistance to potential foreign investors and the venture capital department finances innovating companies with equity loans. Basically a consulting company, the agency boosts local economy by providing professional advice through its website to initiate and stimulate industrial projects. Provides a one-stop-desk for those starting a company. 

4. Page Sponsor/ Owner: Shannon Development, Ireland. The agency offers partnership with a wide variety of groups to maximize the potential for using information society expertise and local resources to generate employment and prosperity in the Shannon Region.

URL: http://www.shannon-dev.ie/ Description: The website offers a wide range of information in the four key areas of Shannon region i.e. tourism, development of knowledge network, industry, and enterprise development. The Investment department offers different equity funds to companies, which have the potential to achieve high growth. The presence of Technology parks is a highly determining factor in the region’s economic growth, as the website states “the ability of each location to network and create synergies between each other is what makes the Shannon Development Knowledge Network unique”. The Shannon Freezone profile is the most dynamic part of the website and touts Ireland as the most promising locations for business in Europe, citing all factors in its favor. 

5. Page Sponsor/Owner: The Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) or IDS is an autonomous, non-profit making research organization. IDS is devoted to carrying out policy and problem-oriented research on socio-economic and public administrative development issues.

URL: http://www.ids.org.my Description: The IDS website extensively lists the activities of the organization with respect to its economic development initiatives in the Sabah region and also its service as consultants to the government of Malaysia. The website give information pertaining to research focus, funding sources, eligibility of membership, institutional linkages (hyperlinked to respective organizations) and supporting units with the association. The homepage of the website gives updated news about the economic development issues in the Asia-Pacific region including conference notices. Further, the Sabah region is well-documented through the provision of online resources such as economic indicators, region’s facts and figures and monthly trade summaries. Reports and publications such as Borneo Review are also available online.  

6. Page Sponsor/Owner: Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board. GIDB is an over-arching body for infrastructure development in Gujarat, encompassing both the hard as well as the soft infrastructure sectors. GIDB itself does not develop infrastructure services but acts as a catalyst for their development.

URL: http://www.gidb.org/ Description: GIDB’s website impresses one greatly at the first look. Designed aesthetically, it provides the emphasis of the organization out in the front i.e. structuring infrastructure for economic development. All the primary infrastructure facilities, both existing and proposed are outlined on the front page (e.g. airports, roads, power, ports, water, tourism, etc.) with hyperlinks to subsections which elaborate on each aspect in great detail. The subsections gives an outline of the national and state policies including statistics on the consumption and demand. The Gujarat Infrastructure Development Act (GID), 1999 is stated in its complete form and serves as a precursor for the Vision 2010. Vision 2010 lays out the plans for investment and infrastructure development for the state of Gujarat. The website also provides information on the tenders open to public. 

7. Page Sponsor/Owner: ADEAR (Agency for the Economic Development of Rouen). ADEAR comprises of 5 founding members viz. The District council, The Seine Maritime General Council, The Rouen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Port of Rouen Authority, The University of Rouen and joined by over 60 companies.

URL:  http://www.rouen-developpement.com/english/eframes.htm Description: This economic development agency for the Rouen region in France is useful in terms of references provided to future investors. It not only provides information regarding the commercial aspect of the region but also gives in-depth information about the quality of life in the towns and cities in the region thus emphasizing the bigger picture of economic development. The Economic Identity section of the website provides a tabular listing of the company along with the industrial activity, giving a graphical break-up of the different activities. Another section of the website gives detailed information on the infrastructure of the region and human resource statistics. But the quality of life aspect is very much evident in the promotion of the region. 

8. Page Sponsor/Owner: The Countryside Agency resulted from the merger of the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission and the agency ensures that people who live in rural areas have opportunities to thrive and obtain the homes and services they need.

URL : http://www.countryside.gov.uk/ Description: This agency focuses purely on rural economic development and lists its initiatives in this regard. Provides a complete overview of the past, current and future activities of the agency in its effort to maintain the sanctity and serenity of the countryside. The website also provides publications both published by the agency and supporting partners, including relevant new releases. The website provides “Rural Proofing” – a tool/checklist to guide different agencies in their policy development process. Lastly, the website also displays a clickable map for easy navigation and corresponding reports and publications. 

9. Page Sponsor/Owner: Halifax Regional Development Agency, Canada. This agency’s mission statement reads “To create, facilitate and strengthen community economic development in rural and suburban Halifax Regional Municipality.".

URL: http://www.hrda.ns.ca Description: The website provides information regarding the agency’s role in economic development of Halifax region. The agency offers its services to community groups and Business Entrepreneurs and also encourages partnership facilitation. The website, as it states, helps people to learn, share information and collaborate. This is achieved by listing the initiatives and viewing inter-sector partnerships online. The website, though not complete, proposes to be an one-stop resource for community building for people in and around Halifax region. The staff offers a wide range of services listed in the website along with the contact addresses of the same for easy access. 

10. Page Sponsor/Owner: Cairns Region Economic Development Corporation. This agency provides a listing and resource for the Cairns region in Australia primarily for business relocation.

URL: http://www.credc.com/ Description: Though the website is very loosely linked together in terms of content and looks, it serves its purposes as a adequate resource for Down Under. It provides a larger picture of economic scenario in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily Australia and then gets more specific about the Cairns region. It lists all the major businesses and infrastructure amenities available in the region. The site also encourages “Industry Cluster Program” to  “work with other like minded firms by coming together to develop joint solutions to common problems and combine resources to take advantage of market opportunities”. It also provides information on Business relocation by listing facilities, workforce, comparisons, quality of life and market access and then takes you on to MigrateAustralia’s website to process your application. It provides an exhaustive PDF report available for download which documents the website. 

11. Page Sponsor/Owner: Kaliningrad Regional Development Agency is a non-profit organization established for the purpose of giving expert and independent assistance in the area of regional economic development.

URL: http://www.kaliningrad-rda.org/ Description: The website describes the entire organization structure in its section on Introduction, elucidating on the membership criteria and most importantly its vision and mission towards economic development of the Kaliningrad region. It also briefly gives an overview of the region describing its salient features. As the website states, the agency aids prospective entrants in project development, foreign investment, marketing and promotion and economic research. It also provides a secure login area for registered users. The news and press releases, as on other sites serve to prove the credibility of the agency.  

12. Page Sponsor/Owner: Lille Metropolitan Development Agency. APIM assists companies throughout their installation process: from finding professional premises, welcoming families concerned by the company's move, and including relations with possible commercial, financial or research partners.

URL: http://www.apim.com/site_gb/accueil/accueil.htm Description: The website aids foreign prospective investors in making Lille as their choice for establishing their company and helps getting in touch with the appropriate authorities. Though a bit gaudy, the site tries to provide too much information at the first glance but content-wise the page provides lot of information on key figures, development, lifestyle and commercial property market of the Lille region. The homepage also provides hyperlinks to the prominent industries/activities and the corresponding infrastructure of the region. As in the Shannon Development agency, it greatly stresses on the quality of life factor making it a determinant factor in choosing a location for establishing a business.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, the title of the URL reflects the sponsor organization.

1. Pratt Institute Center for Community and Environmental Development (PICCED), Brooklyn, NY. http://www.picced.org/index2.htm. Supports the efforts of low and moderate-income communities to combat poverty through sustainable development in Brooklyn. PICCED seeks to equip communities with the tools to plan and implement comprehensive community development strategies (includes GIS services), and also offers an array of education and training and technical assistance services. Has a network of philanthropic organization, lending-institutions, development practitioners and other social service providers. In all, these programs emphasize coalition building and the empowerment of residents through ownership of the community development process.

2. Coalition for Low Income Community Development (CLICD), Baltimore, MD. http://www.clicd.org/. The Coalition for Low Income Community Development (CLICD) is a coalition of grassroots and national groups organized to ensure that low income people benefit from community planning and development programs. CLICD's mission is to improve low-income groups' access to funds for community revitalization and to implement model community planning processes. Our special expertise is community-based planning and community mapping using geographic information system (GIS) software. 

3. Concerned Citizens of South Central Los Angeles (CCSCLA), Los Angeles, CA. http://www.ccscla.org/. An example of a community-based organization focused on directing its members and community towards improving social, economic and environmental conditions for their area as well as creating growth. In particular, this organization has assisted in the development of low income housing in Southern California communities by providing technical and other assistance to non profit housing development corporations, organized block clubs to create changes in the way the city maintains its streets and alleys, provided training for its residents (including students and teachers at one high school) and created job opportunities for local youth in desktop publishing and graphics, and also established a local credit union. 

4. Neighborhoods Online: National, Philadelphia, PA. http://www.neighborhoodsonline.net/index.html, Neighborhoods Online was created in 1995 by the Institute for the Study of Civic Values to be an online resource center for America's neighborhood builders--people who work through grassroots organizations, as volunteers, and in government to build strong neighborhoods and communities throughout the country. Their mission is to provide fast access to information and ideas covering all aspects of neighborhood revitalization (from issues of crime to education). Within each sub-category of information, this site provides URLS for specific topics (for example, in the education sector, they provide URLs for magnet schools, setting up drug free schools, building family infrastructures). A similar clearinghouse site is located at Neighborhood Services, http://neighborhood.com/. 

5. Neighborhoods USA, http://www.nusa.org/index.htm. This national non-profit provides contact names and information for neighborhoods looking to organize their communities on issues ranging from neighborhoods revitalization to youth involvement. Also organizes a national conference and produces a free quarterly newsletter. 

6. Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association, Cleveland, OH. http://little.nhlink.net/nca/. Located in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan neighborhoods, this organization is involved in a range of projects, from after school childcare to providing long-term professional education. Also committed to supporting the social, economic and political participation of its neighbors. This group was the first metropolitan-wide organization in the country with responsibility for planning, coordinating and budgeting neighborhood center work. Today, NCA is the second largest neighborhood center organization in the nation.  

7. Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Program (EZEC), Washington DC. Sponsor: US Department of Agriculture, http://www.ezec.gov/Communit/ruralezec.html. A listing of several regional community development groups. Listings at each site include projects and accomplishments in rural areas and population statistics for regions served.  

8. La Plaza TeleCommunity Northern New Mexico's Community Network, Taos, New Mexico. http://www.laplaza.org/. La Plaza Telecommunity's mission provides Northern New Mexico’s rural tricultural communities with access to technology resources through its proprietary ISP and education in computer and internet technologies. La Plaza also has a notable presence in the region through its partnerships with other community development and regional/national organizations. The site has a visitor’s section of the site devoted to tourists and a community space for local postings. 

9. Project Hope, Detroit MI. www.focushope.edu. Serves as a center for training community members in the use of machinery, the manufacture of machinery, technology training, and engineering. Mentions that it maintains active partnerships with community organizations, universities and corporations, but no listing of those members.                

10. California Association for Local Economic Development, Sacramento, CA. www.caled.org. Statewide membership organization that aims to deliver economic development services, such as conferences and training to their communities and business clients. The most notable feature on the site are the numerous economic development links that span the entire state of California. 

11. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), New York, NY. Sponsor: Ford Foundation. http://www.liscnet.org/. LISC provides grants, loans and equity investments to Community Development Centers (CDCs) for neighborhood redevelopment. Typical project areas include Rural Development, Housing, Economic Development, Community-Building, and Organization and Leadership Cultivation Development. Features web links to specific areas of neighborhood redevelopment from community reinvestment to distance learning. 

12.  Alliance for National Renewal (ANR), Denver, CO. http://nclweb.org/anr/. The Alliance for National Renewal (ANR) is a coalition of over 200 national and local organizations focused on community renewal. ANR’s Community Services program offers help with "hands-on" skills (facilitation, training, coaching and speeches) as well as longer-term support (multi-stakeholder collaboratives, community driven decision-making and planning processes, community indicators, and analytical research). 

13. Center for Community Change, San Francisco, CA. http://www.communitychange.org/. CCC provides on-site assistance, training and networking to community organizations in disadvantaged. The website provides information on a number of topics relating to both economic and community development. The Center builds coalitions at the local, state and regional levels to increase the impact of community-based groups trying to change public policies. 

14. National Neighborhood Coalition, Washington DC. http://www.neighborhoodcoalition.org/. The NNC serves as a link to Washington for neighborhood and community-based organizations and as a networking resource for representatives of regional and national organizations involved in community development, housing and other neighborhood issues. The site includes links to the NNC forum program (a speakers’ series) and the Neighborhood Podium, and provides issue updates. 

15. Hawaii Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED), Honolulu, HI. www.hacbed.org, Organization intends to plan, develop and conduct training weekend sessions held over a 9-month period to build the capacity of community-based organizations in fiscal management, program administration, organizational management, project design and Evaluation, facilitation, negotiation, resource mobilization and systems thinking strategies. This website still under construction.

Economic development consultants links page at the Economic Development Directory - http://www.ecodevdirectory.com/consultants.htm - Links page listing consultants broken out by region. 

REDCO (Regional Economic Development Corporation) – http://www.redco.org – Non-profit consultants serving southern Illinois.  Page lists regional development projects and has good links to area government and regulatory information. 

Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation – http://www.coloradosprings.org – Non-profit corporation encouraging development in the Colorado Springs area.  Site includes excellent community information and offers site location consulting for corporations. 

CAI (Corporate Affairs International) – http://www.caiglobal.com – Offers consulting services to government organizations.  Experienced in both U.S.A. and Canada. 

DCI (Development Counsellors International) – http://www.dc-intl.com – Economic development and tourism marketing consultants.  Site includes a selection of case histories. 

CRESA (Corporate Real Estate Service  Advisors) Partners – http://www.cresapartners.com – Corporate relocation advisors.  Site includes many city profiles detailing real estate prices and availability in metro locations around the U.S. 

Economic Development Research Group – http://www.edrgroup.com – Consultants specializing in economic development metrics and impact analysis.  Site includes articles and bibliographies on measuring several aspects of economic development. 

DCG Corplan Consulting – http://www.dcgcorplan.com – Corporate location consultants.  In describing services, site provides good overview of factors companies should consider when assessing sites. 

Timmons – http://www.timmons.com – Full service (planning through execution) consultants for economic development projects.  Site includes descriptions of technical specialties and case histories of their past work. 

Stellar Fundraising – http://www.stellarfundraising.com – Advises economic development organizations on how to raise funds. 

Brian Wishneff & Asociates – http://www.wishneff.com – Economic development consultants with a good list of services and past projects.  Specialists in seeking tax credits for redevelopment of historic sites. 

Economic Competitiveness Group – http://www.ecgroup.com – Development consultants focusing on cluster-based development. Site has good description of cluster-based theory and its implications for community and business strategies.   

Renarc Group – http://www.renarc.com – Corporate consultants specializing in expansion into international markets.  Helpful for export-based economic growth initiatives. 

Macroeconomic Advisors LLC – http://www.macroadvisers.com – Macroeconomic indicators forecasting consultants.  Sells subscriptions to data services.  Site includes examples.

1) The Brookings Institution

URL:http://www.brook.edu   This is an independent institution mainly sponsored by philanthropic foundations and corporations, which also undertake government contract studies. They present a big source for research in topics related to economic development with papers based on issues of the United States and also with many papers and other resources referring to internationally discussed issues in the subject. It is also a good start point to find more references and links around the world.

2) Cato Institute
 

URL:http://www.cato.org  Widely know, the Cato institute is one of the most important think tanks in the USA. The resources related to economic development came in a wide variety in this site. The site is a very good source for research on national and international development issues. The sub-topics related to U.S development present most of the issues under discussion nowadays. The “International economics and development” link, has access to many full-text papers without subscription. 

3) Center for Economic Development (CED)
 

URL:  http://www.ced.org Independent NGO (non-partisan). Focus on education and human resource development. They also have studies on health issues particularly related to child health in developing countries. Although some resources require subscription, this web site has interesting links to other peers internationally.

4)  Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)
 URL:http://www.abol.net/ceda CEDA - the Committee for Economic Development of Australia - is an independent, apolitical organization that approaches economic development issues in Australia and around the world. Many studies are indeed related to models and policies of economic development undertaken by that country, but at the same time there are many internationally focused. No subscription is needed and many full text documents are available.

5)  The Development Group for Alternative Policies (D'GAP)
 

URL:http://www.igc.org/dgap  Although a small independent organization D’GAP present a good amount of full text articles and papers related to economic development. The focus is particularly in the reduction of the gap between developed and developing countries. There many articles, papers and link related to poverty reduction. 

6)  Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
 

 URL:http://www.rti.org This institute develops research in a multidisciplinary spectrum in which economic development has an important place. Within this site it is possible to find research papers, statistics and other data on development issues. If you are looking for resources related to technology based development, this is a good place to find studies and many links to other similar organization around the world.

7) The Heritage Foundation
 

URL:http://www.heritage.org Advanced technology and economic and social development are the main focus in this institute together with health and education issues. This site offers many resources related to economic development that range from journals to policy reports. Although most of databases are provided under subscription, many full text papers and other documents are free.

8) Hudson Institute, Inc.
 

URL:http://www.hudson.org This independent institute undertakes studies in many different areas including development studies, including the topic of the crucial effect of technology in economic development. Although many reports and papers are accessible at no cost, some others need subscription. Still it is a good source of information in the area.

9) Institute for International Economics (IIE)
 

URL:http://www.iie.com This independent non-profit, nonpartisan institute is focused on international issues and particularly economic development. They information is concentrated in industry policy, labor and human resource development and foreign investment. This site is particularly useful finding links to other organizations and foreign governments.

10) National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
 

URL:http://www.nber.org The institute presents a very extensive source of research papers, project reports and even data. The research presented here has national and international scope. It is possible to find interesting data bases on industry development. A good portion of the resources are accessible free of charge.

Fremont Business Page, Fremont, California,

http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Business/default.htm – Offers four advantages to moving

a business to the city of Fremont.  These include high levels of education and average

income, high quality of life, low cost land and property and proximity to San

Francisco and the Silicon Valley.  Site offers information on demographics, business

districts, redevelopment and resources. 

Industrial Location, Oscaloosa, Iowa,

http://www.oacdg.org/moving/industrial.html – Advertises 3 industrial sites.  The two larger sites cost an average of $9,000 per acre.  Outlines distance to highways, airports and rails.  Indicates that the region has a strong agricultural base. 

Community & Economic Profile, City of San Bernardino Econ. Development Agency

http://www.sanbernardino-eda.org/pages/050-demographics.htm – Offers demographics and other information about the city.  Outlines industrial location advantages, including land availability, transportation infrastructure, space costs and labor costs.  Outlines business incentives including utility tax rebates, assistance with fees, assistance with infrastructure costs, façade improvement grants, job training funds and business development loans.  

Industrial Location Incentives, Port Authority of Little Rock, Arkansas,

http://lrport.dina.org/industry/incent.html – An industrial location page meant to attract people to the Little Rock region.  This includes a large number of incentive programs (eleven).  The two major ones are as follows: the first, the Arkansas Enterprise Zone Program stimulates economic growth through tax incentives including a tax rebate for each new employees and the second, the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Reform, makes compensation insurance more affordable.

Community and Economic Development Program, Murphysboro, Illinois,

http://www.murphysboro.com/economic – Offers demographics and infrastructure information in Murphysboro.  Also outlines state and local tax incentives. 

Economic & Industrial Location, City of Brookhaven, County of Lincoln Mississippi,

http://www.brookhavenchamber.com/economic_indust_location.html – A marketing page for available industrial sites and buildings.  Also has links to existing industries,

services, tax incentives, support services and demographics.

Economic Development Page, Gilbert, Arizona,

http://www.ci.gilbert.az.us/econdev/newbusiness.htm – A report on last years economic development in Gilbert. 

Empowerment Zone, Greater Lawrence County, Ohio,

http://www.lawrencecountyohio.org/7.htm –  Lawrence County Ohio is part of a large Empowerment Zone that crosses state lines into Wayne County West Virginia and the city of Huntington.  This program is states it will put $100,000,000 of federal funds into the region over a ten-year period.  This money will be used for the following: human resources development, infrastructure, workforce development, job creation, industrial site development, tourism and transportation.  Additional websites for the program, including http://www.empowerwv-oh.org/huntiron_ezone, either do not work or are have no links or information. 

Industrial Incentives, Maumelle, Arkansas,

http://maumelle.dina.org/business/default.html – Lists, with links, available sites including industrial, commercial and office. Links to tax profile and demographics. 

The Development Corporation of Knoxville Profile, Knoxville, Tennessee,

http://www.knoxdevelopment.org/profile.html – Goal is to strategically promote long term quality business development.  Lists staff and members of the corporations board of directors.  Does not offer any reasons to move to Knoxville. Links to several available technology center sites. 

Finney County Economic Development Corporation, Finney County, Kansas,

http://www.finneycountyecodevo.org/property/buffjones.html – Offers information on 17 available office and industrial locations.  Links to various tax incentives, economic profile, demographics and community information. 

Chatham County, Chatham County, North Carolina,

http://www.co.chatham.nc.us/Profile.htm – Offers information about the people, economy, transportation infrastructure and government of Chatham County, North Carolina. 

Other sites of interest:

Entergy Mississippi Economic Development Staff, Entergy Corporation, Mississippi,

http://www.entergy-mississippi.com/ed/staff.asp – A global energy company with an interest in economic development in Mississippi.  Works with Teamwork Mississippi Program.

Incentives for Industrial Location in Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan, http://www.pref.hiroshima.jp/shoukou/ricchi/ricchi/ryugu-e.html –  Why move to Hiroshima?  Click here to find out. 

Federal Assistance
United States Small Business Administration
http://www.sba.gov/
This site provides guidance on planning and starting a business, financing options, federal contracting opportunities, contact information for federal and local offices, and laws and regulations.  It also includes a reference section with an online library, news, and business listings.

United States Environmental Protection Agency Technology Transfer Network Small Business Assistance
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/sbap/meeting.html
The Environmental Protection Agency offers guidance on environmental requirements for small businesses.  The site includes links to small business ombudsman information.

United States Food and Drug Administration Small Business Assistance
http://www.fda.gov/cder/about/smallbiz/default.htm
The FDA provides information on regulations and procedures applicable to small businesses doing clinical investigation or bringing a new product to market.  The site also includes information on economic assistance and incentives available for new drug development.

State and Local Economic Development Agencies
Many states and localities offer web resources.  These sites typically include web guidance for starting a business in the state or expanding/relocating to the state.  Other features might include licensing and permitting information, government bid links, and other services.  Example state websites include:

Georgia Business Services
http://www.state.ga.us/index/topic_pages.cgi?topic_id=1

Maryland Business Assistance
http://www.choosemaryland.org/business/index.asp

Missouri Economic Development Business Center
http://www.ded.state.mo.us/business/businesscenter/

Vermont Business Assistance Network
http://www.vermontbidsystem.com/default.aspx

Virginia Department of Business Assistance
http://www.dba.state.va.us/

Small Business Assistance Corporation
http://www.sbacsav.com/
This non-profit organization offers loans for small businesses in the area surrounding Savannah, Georgia in Georgia and South Carolina. This corporation also provides management and technical assistance, as well as information, publications, and studies relevant to small businesses.

University Outreach
University of Maryland One Stop Shop for Business Assistance
http://www.onestopshop.umd.edu/
The University of Maryland established a website to collect and present the resources it offers to put university expertise into practice.  The website describes the university’s engineering consulting program, matching grants to help Maryland companies develop products and processes, technology licensing, and educational opportunities.

Legal Information
United States Department of Labor Employment Laws Assistance for Workers & Small Businesses
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/
The DOL uses this website to provide interactive tools to guide businesses through employment laws.  The website qualifies that tools have not been created for all relevant laws and regulations.

State Bar of Wisconsin Business Assistance Program
http://www.nbia.org/
This website provides lookup resources for finding statutes and regulations pertaining to small businesses. It also includes book reviews, magazine links, and bar information.  Through the business assistance program, small businesses can receive two hours of free consultation from a business lawyer.

Small Business Assistance Organizations
BusinessTown Small Business Assistance
http://www.businesstown.com/
This page offers a collection of information on the basics of all aspects of a small business’ lifecycle from starting and setting up operations to valuing and selling a business.  The site includes a list of recent books written about running a small business.

Entrepreneur.com
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
Entrepreneur.com offers guidance on starting, growing, and managing small businesses.  It provides articles and newsletters on current topics, as well as typical resources on the basics of small business planning, operation, and management.

The Entrepreneur’s Help Page
http://www.tannedfeet.com/
While this site does offer typical financial resources, the Entrepreneur’s Help Page focuses on providing other strategic information that small businesses need, such as business planning assistance, insurance information, immigration procedures, office planning and building, intellectual property, taxation, and marketing.

National Business Incubation Association
http://www.nbia.org/
On a subscription basis, this site offers information, education, advocacy, and networking resources for early stage companies.

Small Business Assistance Center Network
http://www.sbacnetwork.org/
This private non-profit corporation provides networks to bring businesses together for financial referrals, consulting, seminars, information, group health insurance, and group cellular telephone service.

Small Business Loans and Cash Advances
http://www.fastupfront.com/
This private sector site offers cash advances to qualified small businesses.

Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists
BusinessFinance.com
http://www.businessfinance.com/
This site bills itself as America’s Business Funding Directory with over 78,000 business loan and venture capital sources.  It categorizes its links according to start-up funding and venture capital, business funding how-to, fast cash, business loans and financing, expert advice, and other resources.

E.Q. Marketing International
http://www.smallbusinesscenter.com/
This site specializes in small business loans, grants, and venture capital for women and minorities.  Although the page offers information on pursuing private capital, it focuses on federal government assistance to small businesses.

Idealab
http://www.idealab.com
Idealab has a network of businesses that it operates.  This company takes ideas for new businesses and guides fledgling businesses to grow and develop them.  Idealab targets business ideas for proprietary technologies with high margins and potential for sustainable profitable growth.  Idealab provides new companies with capital, office space, and support services.  Idealab is currently only fostering ideas developed internally, rather than entertaining new ideas from independent entrepreneurs.

Subscription Matching Services
BusinessPartners.com
http://www.businesspartners.net/
BusinessPartners.com offers subscription service for matching entrepreneurs, early stage companies, and existing corporations with financial providers or opportunities for mergers and acquisitions.

Venture Exchange Network
http://www.ventureexchangenetwork.com/
Venture Exchange Network screens entrepreneurs according to basic criteria and then tries to match them to the venture capitalists most likely to provide funding.  Venture Exchange Network claims to be the largest independent network of venture capitalists

• The digital network infrastructure and Metro Chicago, Northwestern University, http://www.it.nwu.edu/metrochicago/intro.htm, This website contains a report that discusses the impact of the expanding digital infrastructure in the Chicago Metropolitan area.  The report is intended to guide policy decisions concerning the digital network and the effects it has on the community especially its effects on business.  It includes a report, an action plan, and several think papers that address related topics.  There is large section of the report dedicated to technology-based economic development. 
• High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC), State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) http://www.htdc.org, HTDC promotes the growth and development of technology based industry in the state of Hawaii.  This website is an excellent example of a useful state sponsored website, it provides a directory of high technology industries, related news and events, and an outline of all of the different programs sponsored by the HTDC.  However it is of limited use since the majority of the information is geared towards the state of Hawaii.
• WebEC Economic Development, Technological Change and Growth, Helsinki School of Economics, Finland, http://www.helsinki.fi/WebEc/webeco.html, This website offers an array of useful economic development and technology resource links.  It is a good place to look to find other related links, however it does not contain a great deal of information itself.  Especially good for international development websites.
•  Research Informatics, Economic Development, Stony Brook, State University of New York, http://www.research.sunysb.edu/research/ecodevmn.html, This website is good resource for economic development links, it lists several biotechnology websites and many university websites as well as New York State and Federal agency websites and a few international sites.  The links are useful but the site does not contain much information.
• Advanced Technology Development Corporation (ATDC), http://www.atdc.org/index.html, ATDC is an organization that promotes the development of technology-based companies in Georgia.  It provides services to technology entrepreneurs.  The website contains news highlights related to technology-based economic development in the state of Georgia.  ATDC is part of Georgia Tech’s Office of Economic Development and Technology Ventures. 
• Economic Development and Technology Ventures, Georgia Institute of Technology, http://www.edtv.gatech.edu/, EDTV is the umbrella economic development department at Georgia Institute of Technology, under it falls 3 divisions, the Advanced Technology Development Corporation, the Economic Development Institute, and the Georgia Tech Venture Lab.  The website contains links to each of these divisions as well as course offerings, a list of regional offices and phone numbers, archives of several economic development and technology publications and news updates.
• SRI Center for Science, Technology and Economic Development (CSTED), SRI International, http://www.sri.com/policy/csted/, CSTED is dedicated to helping regions, companies, and organizations prosper through better science and technology economic and educational programs and policies.  This website contains their reports, publications, it also contains information on the CSTED science and technology policy program that conducts research and analysis into policy issues for policy makers.
• Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse (PDG), http://www.digitalgreenhouse.com/about.html, PDG is an economic development organization sponsored by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  The website outlines the programs offered by the state of Pennsylvania to encourage technological advances to promote job growth and economic expansion.     
• Technology Administration (TA), http://www.ta.doc.gov/, TA is the only federal agency promoting economic growth through technical advances.  This website gives news updates, publications, discusses their activities and partnerships, and outlines their resources.  TA also maintains an Office of Technology Policy which develops and advocates national policies relating to technological advances to build economic growth.
• Maine Science & Technology Foundation, http://www.mstf.org/mission.html, This is a state chartered organization that uses science and technology to stimulate economic expansion.  This site has a research and development report, it describes past projects, programs and services, and a list of publications.  The site also contains a long list links to other relevant sites.
• The Economic and Technology Development Journal of Canada, http://www.ecdevjournal.com/, This site has a quick search that seems to allow you to conduct keyword searches of the journal, however for some reason I was not able to conduct a search.  It seems that this site could be a useful academic resource.  

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National Sites                                                                              

No One Left Behind Report, The Century Foundation

http://www.tcf.org/Task_Forces/retraining_workforce/No_One_Left_Behind.html Report on the importance of lifelong learning in improving the quality of life of employees. Includes specific recommendations that governments, businesses, and individuals can take to foster the continuos renewal of skills.  

Homepage of the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration

http://www.doleta.gov/ This site has information for everybody interested in vocational training. In Youth Corner, information is available on labor force preparation (e.g., job shadowing, apprenticeship programs). Adults will also find information on preparing for new jobs, especially if they qualify for specific programs (seasonal farmworkers, disabled, displaced by trade, etc.). Businesses can learn about incentives from both hiring employees from job training programs or upgrading the skills of their current employees. Worker development groups (e.g., some faith based organizations) can download the necessary forms to apply for grants. Some links to state agencies that administer programs. 

Foras Aiseanna Saothair (Training & Employment Authority) - Ireland

http://www.fas.ie/ Targeted toward employers, employees, and unemployed. Programs available for all firm sizes in all business sectors. Worker programs available for recent graduates, unemployed, and job changers.  Site offers good details on the all available programs for both businesses and individuals. Easy to navigate.

Regional Sites

 Home page of the Southeast Employment &Training Association

http://www.seta.org/seta/ Provides directory of all member professionals to promote networking. Has ‘virtual exhibit hall’ of webpages from all exhibitors at the previous conference. Newsletter provides information on “current workforce issues and activities.” Links to sites of interest to professional developers.

State Sites

 Smart Labor Force page, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

http://medc.michigan.org/miadvantage/laborforce/ Targeted at those looking to set up or move to another location. Site describes services that state offers in matching job seekers to job openings and recruiting highly trained (engineers and scientists) for Michigan companies.  Also describes the technical and trade programs (including specialized training funds for companies) that Michigan has established to keep its workforce competitive. Links to other sites.

 Homepage of Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training

http://www.detma.org/ Provides businesses with information about the Workforce Training Fund programs which provide grants to employers, training providers and labor groups for improving labor skills. Workers (employed or unemployed) can find information about training programs. Those on unemployment may qualify to receive benefits while in training. Provides TrainingPro service for training providers to improve their programs and get state certified so they qualify to participate in state’s workforce development programs.

 Home page of California’s Employment Development Department

http://www.edd.ca.gov/ Has separate sections for individuals, businesses, and workforce community. Individuals learn what kind of training they need, where to get training, if there are special programs for individual’s needs, how to pay for training, and where to get help (some external links). Businesses learn where to find training for workers, how to pay for training, and where to get help (some external links). The Workforce Community page provides information on the following programs: School-to-Career, Welfare-to-Work (WtW),  Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Homepage of California’s Employment Training Panel (Business-Labor cooperative Government agency)

http://www.etpcahwnet.gov/ Target mostly at small firms (80% of recipients have less than 250 employees). ETP provides funds to two broad groups: 1) employers who face out-of-state competition (to upgrade existing employee skills) and 2) to groups that place unemployed workers. Site provides good instructions on what business/groups should do before applying as well as providing details of the application process and post-training expectations (e.g., minimum wages).

Employment and Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Continuing Education

http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ETI/ Targeted at governmental and private agencies that deal with labor market and training issues. Summaries and links to studies and surveys on issues affecting low-income and unemployed workers. Studies include Employment and Training Needs of Central City Workers: 1996  and Wisconsin Welfare Employment Experiments: An Evaluation of the WEJT and CWEP Programs.

County/City sites 

Homepage of the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (joint agency of county and city)

http://www.seta.net/ Provides lists of high school and colleges that provide vocational training, certificate programs, and GED classes. List of eligible WIA training providers (and application procedures). Workers can learn the occupations with the greatest expected growth in the Sacramento area. Site also provides information on the Refugee Program, which provides language and vocational training.

Searching for Employment and Training Programs, Work Center (division of King County Labor Council)

http://www.cityofseattle.net/business/step/ As the name implies, this site is a portal to other employment and training sites. The search function allows you to select services desired (required) with the option of specifying group affiliation (e.g., ex-offenders, refugees) and/or geographic restrictions (e.g., all King County, Seattle). The links page identifies, in an easy to read format, which services that site provides. Also provides a calendar of workshops, classes and events. Site designed for both workers and employers.   

Employment and Training Resources (for Norwood, Newton, & Framingham MA)

http://www.etrcc.org/ Example of bad site. Undertraining the following is posted: “ETR has compiled extensive information on education and training opportunities including information on training vendors, financial aid, resources, grant availability, distance/on-line learning, and consumer tools to evaluate possible training options.” The extensive information is only available if one goes to an office. Similarly, funds are available for people recently laid-off from a list of companies (e.g., Lucent, Verizon), but guidelines for qualification and benefits are available only at ETR office.

Homeless, Employment, Advice and Training Directory, published by RIS and OSW

 http://www.homelesstraining.org.uk/ Able to search for job centres and employment & training providers (and other services relating to homelessness) either in a specific borough of London or for London wide services. Includes links to organizations of organizations with programs targeting the problem of unemployment among the homeless.

Workforce & Economic Development, Shoreline Community College (Washington)

http://elmo.shorectc.edu/workforce/ Provides information on several programs providing either pre-employment training or job related training for low income clients and retraining for recently unemployed or displaced workers.  These programs may be fully funded (depending on need criteria) by the state. College offers self-funded continuing education courses to allow individuals opportunities to advance at work or change careers. Examples of courses are QC/QA [quality control/quality assurance] For Biotechnology and Auto Service Advisor. Site also describes the 52 professional-technical programs the college offers.

1. City of Toronto, Canada’s Economic Development Strategy Homepage

http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/business_publications/econdev_strategy.htm  Listing of various publications and reports on the City’s economy, demographics, employment, etc. as well as the City’s Economic Development Strategy.  Emphasis on the global market, sustainability, and quality of life.  Links to other area sites. 

2. “West Virginia, A Vision Shared”, West Virginia Council for Community Economic Development           

http://www.wvcouncil.org/strategy1.html Lists process of the development of their strategy.  Emphasis on the concerns for their lagging economy and how shifts in the national economy are pushing them towards service sector jobs over their primary manufacturing-based employment. 

3. Promoting Economic Development through the Business Sector, Enterprise Franklin of Franklin, New Zealand http://www.enterprisefranklin.co.nz/economicStrategy/stratHome.htm Search for businesses by type and location.  Emphasis on tourism, e-commerce, and attracting  new businesses.  Includes a Lifestyle and Values survey link. 

4. Long-term Economic Development Strategy for Croatia. Author:  Mihaljek, D. under IDEAS and RePEc (Research Papers in Economics)

http://ideas.uqam.ca/ideas/data/Papers/fthinpufi11.html#author Paper that gives analyses of advances in the emerging market economies in Asia, Latin America, and Central Europe, Emphasis on the accelerated process of economic development.  Substantial number of links to related research sources. 

5. ‘Free trade must be part of broader economic development strategy’, India Express.Com

http://server1.indiaexpress.net/news/business/20020207-1.html New article on expanding India’s free trade and other methods for growth potential.  Substantial number of links to sites regarding trade issues and business recruitment for India under the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). 

6. Proposal for a National Economic Development Strategy for Wales. TSO, The Information Management Company ,Wales’ Official Government Document Website.

www.official-documents.co.uk/document/welshoff/neds/e-chp1.htm Emphasis on the Welsh economy compared to the UK and Europe, Wales’ infrastructure, environmental concerns, human resources, businesses, and sectors.The Home page provides a search for all official government documents from 1994 on.

7. Interactive Page for Economic Developers and Topics, Interactive Economic Development Network

www.iedn.com Provides links to economic development articles, discussions, local/state websites, and organizations.  Links to communication, information, and marketing tools for economic development. 

8. 2000-2005 Economic Development Strategy , Rushmore Borough Council, UK

http://gatekeeper.rushmoor.gov.uk/information/business/policy/eds_measuring_success.htm Emphasis on Local Performance (Business) Plan.  Links to Business Organizations.  Also provides links to the rest of the regional entities of Europe, trading information for businesses, and online connections to Britain’s TUC. 

9.World Bank Page on Economic Development Strategies. The World Bank Group.           

http://www.worldbank.org/urban/led/planning.html Outlines the Local Economic Development Strategy.  Links to case studies all over the world, external economic development organizations, articles on various topics concerning economic development, and multiple other links. 

10.  Kansas’ Interactive Economic Development Survey website. Kansas Inc.           

http://www.kansasinc.org/eco_dev_strategy.htm Lets citizens and non-citizens give input and participate in the Kansas Economic Development Strategy Survey.  Provides access to economic development infrastructure links and past and present economic development strategies used in Kansas. 

11.  City of Henderson, Nevada’s Economic Development Strategy Page           

http://www.cityofhenderson.com/ecodev/ecodevstrategy.html Focuses on attracting new businesses (as well as expansion and start-up assistance) and creating new jobs.  Looks at what other practices communities are doing well at, national trends and outlook for where future jobs will be, visioning process of the City, and a realistic look at the City’s products and the region.

1. Mikalla S. Rogers

Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford Journals Online

http://cje.oupjournals.org/ - provides a forum for theoretical, applied, policy and methodological research into social and economic issues. Its focus includes: the organisation of social production and the distribution of its product, the causes and consequences of gender, ethnic, class and national inequities, inflation and unemployment, the changing forms and boundaries of markets and planning uneven development, world market instability, globalisation and international integration.

Comparative Economic Studies- The Journal of the Association for Comparative Economic Studies

http://www.buec.udel.edu/millerj/myweb4/index.html - promote scholarly exchange among persons interested in comparative studies of economic systems, planning, and economic development.

Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies

http://link.springer.de/link/service/journals/10018/index.htm - provides an international forum for debates among diverse disciplines such as environmental economics, environmental policy studies, and related fields. The main purpose of the journal is threefold: to encourage (1) integration of theoretical studies and policy studies on environmental issues, (2) interdisciplinary works of environmental economics, environmental policy studies, and related fields on environmental issues, and (3) contributions from Asian countries where severe environmental destruction has been experienced and partly overcome

World Economics, NTC Economic & Financial Publishing

http://www.world-economics-journal.com/ - presents a global perspective on current thinking in economics and its application in a variety of interesting subjects including sports and the arts. Most issues include a collection of articles on a particular theme, e.g Money, Pension Reform, Measuring Prosperity, 'Green' Economics. In addition, there are substantial papers on a variety of subjects and which contribute to essential economic understanding and debate. Links to other international economic journals, organizational websites and institutions.

Journal of International Trade and Economic Development, Routeledge

http://web.uvic.ca/~dgiles/jited/jitednew.html  focuses on international economics, economic development and the interface between trade and development theoretical and applied issues in international and development economics - econometric applications of trade and/or development models and trade and development issues of economies in Eastern Europe, Asia and the Pacific area.  

Cityscape, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/cityscape.html  focuses on innovative ideas, policies, and programs that show promise in revitalizing cities and regions, renewing their infrastructure, and creating economic opportunities.  A typical issue consists of articles that examine various aspects of a theme of particular interest to our audience. The Notes section highlights HUD research-in-progress on current policy and program issues.

Economic Development Quarterly, Sage Publications

(available electronically via EBESCO)

disseminates information on the latest research programs, policies and trends in the field of economic development for all areas of development - large cities, small towns, rural areas and overseas trade and expansion. Regular areas of study include:

· State and Local Economic Development Policy

· Economic Development Incentives

· Urban and Regional Economics

· Labour, Poverty and Community Development

· Economic Development Theory

· Foreign Trade 

Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association

http://www.aeaweb.org/jep/ attempts to fill the gap between academic economic journals and general press with respect to such topics as the economic analysis of public policy, current and future economic thinking, issues facing the economic profession. Contains links to other AEA publications 

Asia-Links or Asia Pacific Economic Review, Asia-Econ Online

http://www.asiaecon.com/APER/ - provides a forum for addressing regional economics in Asia and the Pacific with focus on market intelligence; corporate profiles; in-depth analyses of business, marketing, economic, policy, and cultural issues. Targeted towards business managers and executives in the international trade market. Issues feature a country focus and industry focus sections that highlight current economics trends.  

Ecological Economics, International Society for Ecological Economics

Volume/ Issues list- http://www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/5/0/3/3/0/5/

ISEE Home page- http://www.ecologicaleconomics.org/index.html

The journal is concerned with extending and integrating the study and management of "nature's household" (ecology) and "humankind's household" (economics). Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modeling at scales from local to regional to global, and integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts.

Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago

Electronic edition - http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/EDCC/journal/index.html

Focuses on the study of noneconomic variables in the development process and new theoretical approaches that integrate concepts of social change with economic theories, EDCC examines the economic and social forces that affect development and the impact of development on culture. Targeted towards professionals interested in development issues as well as scholars, researchers, and practitioners in economics, sociology, political science, geography, anthropology, demography, social psychology, and agricultural economics.

2. Amy Gore

Contemporary Economic Policy

Oxford Journals Online,

http://cep.oupjournals.org/

While it currently only has full text articles from the past three years, this site has diverse articles focusing on both US and International development issues.  There are several interesting articles that use empirical evidence and research to examine economic theories and development policies.  It explores a variety of topics, including monetary policy, government initiatives, and questions of international trade.

Economic Development Now

International Economic Development Council http://www.iedconline.org/EDNow/subject_index.html

 This archive of the Economic Development Now newsletter published by the IEDC has around 100 articles pertaining to development issues.  There is a categorical index which will be helpful as the number of archived articles increases.  Journal articles are not archived until 2 months after publication.

Economic Journals on the Web

Oswego State University of New York, http://www.oswego.edu/~economic/journals.htm

 This website catalogs a very extensive listing of electronic economic journals accessible through the internet.  Most of the websites require registration or subscription to view the archived articles.  However, due to the exhaustive nature of the list, it is a worthwhile website.   

Eldis Resource Guides

ELDIS

http://www.eldis.org/guides/index.htm

The ELDIS website provides access to research papers on a wide range of development topics.  The papers are indexed under topics such as Trade Policy, Globalization, Agriculture and many others.  The website provides abstracts of the articles as well as links to the full text, typically in .pdf format. 

Finance and Development

International Monetary Fund http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2002/06/index.htm 

F&D is the quarterly publication of the International Monetary Fund.  The website has links to published articles back to 1996.  Obviously, the focus of articles is on development in developing nations, and especially on government policy and poverty reduction. 

Georgia Business and Economic Conditions

University of Georgia

http://www.selig.uga.edu/forecast/GBEC/gbec.htm 

This website indexes the GBEC Newsletter published by the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. The newsletter, published quarterly, has articles on both general economic development issues and information specific to the Georgia economy. 

Globalization and Economic Development Newsletter

Corporation for Enterprise Development

http://www.cfed.org/sustainable_economies/globalization/News/news_index.html 

This index of approximately 20 articles focuses on globalization and trade, especially on the implications for local government policy. 

Library of Economic Development Research Group http://www.edrgroup.com/pages/library.html

This website links to several articles of varying degrees of depth regarding economic development.  It includes a listing of articles about basic concepts of economic impact analysis (Input/Output Models, Multipliers, Regional Impact Models, etc.) as well as articles evaluating economic development programs, and the economic impact of specific projects, such as cultural arts facilities.  

Publications

Center for Economic Development

http://www.ced.org/pubs.htm

CED is an organization comprised of business and education leaders which funds and directs research primarily devoted to development policy at the federal and state levels.  The publication site lists their research reports by topic, as well as provides access to their newsletter, CED Forum. The articles are divided into topics of international and domestic development. 

Recent IDPM Publications

Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester

http://idpm.man.ac.uk/idpm/idpm_dp.htm 

The articles posted at this website range in scope and geography.  There is a great deal of research regarding developing nations, gender issues, technology, and financing as it relates to economic development activities. 

Research Reports from the Economic Development Administration

US Department of Commerce

http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/html/1g3_researchrpts.htm 

This website has a small selection of reports, but with a good variety of topics, all focused on US economic development.  The research tends to focus on actual projects and case studies when evaluating government programs and initiatives. There is also a section titled “Reviews of Literature and Practice” which summarize economic development ideas and debates in non-technical terms. 

Rural Development Online

US Department of Agriculture

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/pubs/ 

This website, produced by the USDA has several links to other websites as well as the USDA’s own publications.  It includes information published by state organizations regarding rural economic development, rural cooperatives, and comprehensive articles regarding economic development strategies in rural areas. 

Virtual Library on International Development,

Canadian International Development Agency

http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca/virtual.nsf/pages/index_e.htm 

This site is a collection of links listed under the broad headings Regions, Topics, Countries, and Organizations.  While it is not the most easily navigated website, the links cover a broad range of information including statistics and data as well as published articles and journals.

1. ACOA's Economic Impact: A Discussion in the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, http://www.acoa.ca/e/library/audit/EPO.shtml, - This site provides three articles and they evaluated the activities of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) established by the Canada federal government. It explains how the organization contributes the enhancement of income growth and employment opportunities, how it impacts on the Canadian economy, and the effectiveness of the agency, especially focused on the policy outcomes of its total expenditures. 

2. An Evaluation of EDA’s University Center Program, Economic Development Administration U.S. Department of Commerce, http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/pdf/1G3_23_univcentereval.pdf, - The Economic Development Administration’s (EDA’s) University Center program provides annual funding to almost 70 university centers located in 45 states. This report provides that the effectiveness of this program and its unique role, the contribution of these universities to the economic development of surrounding areas and communities, and the appropriation of its budget distribution. It gives six recommendations regarding these issues. 

3. Evaluation of Maine’s Public Investments in Research & Development, Office of Economic Development University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, http://www.mstf.org/evaluation/index.html, - This report prepared for Maine Science and Technology foundation (MSTF) and answered three specific questions posed by the MSTF: the competitiveness and improvement of Maine’s sponsored R&D, the impact of Maine’s R&D investment on the development of Maine’s R&D industry, and the impact of Maine’s R&D investment on the level of innovation and innovation-based economic development. Its appendix provides really good tables and figures, the links between objectives, program, outputs, intermediate outcomes, end outcomes, and indicators. 

4. Evaluation of EDA’s Planning Program: Economic Development Districts, Wayne State University, http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/pdf/1G3_25_planningeval.pdf, - Wayne State University evaluated EDA’s Economic Development Program which funded 323 Economic Development Districts (EDDs) to facilitate the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). This report analyzed the characteristics of the process of CEDS, the relationship between EDD staff and CEDS committee, the regional community stakeholders, and disjunction between goals and projects. 

5. Winning an Award from the Advanced Technology Program, Advanced Technology Program (ATP), http://www.atp.nist.gov/eao/ir-6577.pdf, - this paper focus on how the chances of winning an award from the ATP affect a firm’s R&D strategy and activity. It gives a good view of the process that the federal funds distributed to private sectors meet the public and private interests. 

6. Availability of Funds for Economic Development Assistance Programs, Economic Development Administration, http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-4882-filed.pdf, - It is a Federal Register that provides a brief review of the availability of 2002 funds for economic development assistance program. It focuses on the funding stream and its effect of 2002 fiscal year and evaluated several specific cases. It also listed the Economic Development Representative that served each case and its contact information.  

7. The Advanced Technology Program’s Evaluation Plan & Progress, Economic Assessment Office Advanced Technology Program, http://www.atp.nist.gov/eao/7th-iftm.htm, - Although this report is a little inclined to evaluation method and strategy, it provides good analysis of ATP’s impact on broad-based economic benefits. It informs basic evaluation process using charts and graphs very well and those figures explains how the R&D activities influence economic benefits in private and social points of the view.  

8. Economic Development Strategies & Program Evaluation, Economic Development Research Group, Inc. (EDR Group),  http://www.edrgroup.com/pages/library_strat.html , - This site provides some consulting practices, articles on economic development analysis, and current new topics. In library section, it introduces some articles about evaluations of economic development program. Although it does not provide many articles and a few of them give a brief summary or the link does not work, several articles give good evaluations of specific projects regarding ED programs. 

9. Economic Development Program Evaluation, Board of Governors California Community Colleges, http://www.cccco.edu/executive/bog/agendas/attachments_0501/05-5-Economic_Development_Update.pdf, - This is a brief agenda of the California Community Colleges Economic Development Program. It gives a summary of its program and internal evaluating process.  

10. Economic Evaluation of the Baldrige Nation Quality Program, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Program Office, http://www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report01-3.pdf, - This is an evaluation report about a specific project. First, it explains the concept of quality and investment in performance and then, evaluates the application to the Baldrige National Quality Program. The analysis of net social benefits of the program is the best part of this report.

1.Community Development Society, Columbus, OH – www.comm-dev.org

The CDS is an international professional association for community development practitioners and global citizen leaders.  Site focus is more local than institutional and provides on online library, an in-house journal and newsletter, and various topical sections and best-practice references.

2.The European Union, Brussels, Belgium - www.europa.eu.int/index_en.htm

This massive European monetary, trade and regulatory group is a useful source for information on member countries.  Site provides data, publications, statistics, an “Activities” section which includes Development, and numerous official documents.

3.International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Brussels, Belgium – www.icftu.org

The ICFTU promotes the interests of working people throughout the world, and works to raise individual living standards, and help countries achieve full employment.  Site is a tad busy, but nevertheless offers useful information on countries that may impose barriers to their people’s advancement.

4.International Development Network, Athens, GA – www.idn.org

Calling itself the “Information Network for Sustainable Development, the IDN provides numerous links to other development organizations, as well as project profiles, a bookstore, data resources, and even jobs links.  A very professional, nicely formatted site. 

5.International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland – www.ilo.org

Predating the United Nations, the ILO is concerned both with the economic and social aspects of global development.  The site is broken down by: Standards and Fundamental Principals and Rights at Work; Employment; Social Protection; and Social Dialogue.  It is a good resource for worker-related issues, and the consequences of development. 

6.International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC – www.imf.org

Fifty-eight-year-old governance body is involved in all aspects of international finance and monetary issues.  Useful country-by-country listings.  Access to news, publications, codes and regulations, and a wealth of information on global finances. 

7.Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, France – www.oecd.org

Numerous surveys provide information on specific countries.  Individual topics are also accessible with a very useful topic links bar.  Drilling down to a topic provides literally dozens of sub-topical links and categories.  Exceedingly useful site. 

8.Organization of American States, Washington, DC – www.oas.org

While the focus of this over century-old group is not specifically economic development, breadth and depth of issues and topics covered on this site may be useful for contextual and institutional research.  Nice resource of photos and speeches. 

9.United Nations Development Program, New York, NY – www.undp.org

UNDP is the United Nation's principal provider of regional and global development advice, advocacy and grant support. It has 131 country offices.  Truly exhaustive site with wealth of resources for research and analysis.  Breaks down offerings by theme, region, and also general categories. 

10.United Nations Industrial Development Organization, New York, NY – www.unido.org

Geared towards developing countries and countries “in transition.”  Aims promote industrial development and cooperation at global, regional, national, and sectoral levels.  Site has many resources, including data, publications, country-specific information and analysis. 

11.World Trade Organization, Geneva, Switzerland – www.wto.org

Site for group established in 1995 to administer and implement member trade agreements, act as a forum for multilateral trade negotiations, resolve trade disputes; and many other tasks.  Offers statistics, documents, trade news, research and analysis, and community forums.  Very useful and exhaustive.