Teaching International Economics

15 Web Sites Useful for Teaching International Economics in High Schools

http://www.brookings.edu

The Brookings Institution is an independent nonpartisan research institution. Search its Web site for terms of interest such as “trade deficit” and “globalization.” Although some materials are available for purchase, other papers and policy briefs are available on the site.

http://www.census.gov/

The U.S. Census Bureau Web site has information on U.S. and international immigration. Search for “immigration” on the homepage.

http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/

Another part of the Web site of the U.S. Census Bureau, this page allows you to look up imports, exports and the trade balance between the United States and the countries with whom we trade, over time.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
The CIA Factbook provides profiles and data on the countries of the world, including information on the country’s history, geography, government, economy and transnational issues.

http://www.globalpolicy.org
The Web site of the Global Policy Forum provides information on globalization. Try the links on “globalization of the economy” and “measuring globalization”

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/eop/
The Economic Report of the President contains data from 1946 to the present on the U.S. balance of payments. The easiest way to access this may be to go to this Web site, download the entire report as a single PDF file and then scroll to Table B-103. Note that this table is on two pages.

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, publishes a widely quoted Index of Economic Freedom that compares 50 variables for 161 countries. You may download the entire report or search for a certain country.

http://www.imf.org
The Web site of the International Monetary Fund has a wealth of information on its policies and member countries. Try the links for “first time visitors” and for “students.”

You may also link to the keynote address that Anne Krueger, IMF First Deputy Managing Director, made to the NCEE/NAEE/GATE annual conference in San Antonio on October 9, 2005, at http://www.imf.org/external.np/speeches/2005/100705/htm. Her speech discusses the importance of economic education, globalization and trade.

http://www.oecd.org/
The Web site of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development allows you to
browse by topic and by country for its 30 members.

http://www.state.gov
The U.S. Department of State Web site contains international information that is easy to access.
Try the links for “countries, regions” and “international issues.”

http://www.unicef.org
On the Web site of the United Nations Children’s Fund, you can search “info by country” to
compare data on health, education, demographics, economics and other indicators.

http://www.who.int
The Web site of the World Health Organization provides health-related statistics by country.

http://www.worldbank.org
On the World Bank’s Web site, you can find world development indicators for 152 countries. By
searching “data and research” on individual countries, you can find comparative data on poverty
worldwide.

http://www.wto.org
The World Trade Organization’s Web site gives information on trade, disputes and policies for
its 148 member countries.

http://www.exchangerate.com/
This is one of many Web sites that allow you to convert currencies and determine exchange
rates. You can look up exchange rates on any given day since 1996.