Key Titles by Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
In addition to the flagship publications described below, UBC Library has an extensive array of FAO country reports, industry statistics, commodity reports and manuals.
This is one of FAO's oldest publications. It is released annually with the overall aim of reporting on development and issues surrounding world food production and agriculture. Each year focuses on a special theme. Past themes include: biofuels, malnutrition & economic development, food aid & food security, water scarcity, and trade.
This publication "reports on global and national efforts to reach the goal set by the 1996 World Food Summit: to reduce by half the number of undernourished people in the world by the year 2015. FAO has the mandate to monitor progress in hunger reduction based on accurate, reliable and timely methods that measure the prevalence of hunger, food insecurity and vulnerability and that also illustrate changes over time."
This publication is "a world review of fisheries and aquaculture, including trends and statistics. It highlights issues debated worldwide and profiles future scenarios, providing the most current global view and perspective on fisheries and aquaculture."
International Labour Organization (ILO)
In addition to the flagship publications described below, UBC Library has an array of ILO statistical and legal reports, as well as country reports and studies.
This Bulletin supplements the Yearbook of Labour Statistics. It provides monthly or quarterly series on the topics of employment, unemployment, average work week, and average wages for non-agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Also provides consumer price indices.
Ceased in 2009
ILO's flagship journal focuses on labour and social policy and articles covering "employment and labour markets, training and skills development, social security and social protection, labour law and labour institutions, rights at work and social dialogue."
This annual publication provides statistics on key labour topics, including employment & unemployment, hours of work, wages, labour costs, consumer prices, occupational injuries and strikes & lockouts. Time series generally stretch back 10 years.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
In addition to the flagship publications described below, UBC Library has an array of IMF titles - with a heavy emphasis on Canada and the US.
"The World Economic Outlook (WEO) presents the IMF staff's analysis and projections of economic developments at the global level, in major country groups (classified by region, stage of development, etc.), and in many individual countries. It focuses on major economic policy issues as well as on the analysis of economic developments and prospects."
Produced 23 times per year, this IMF magazine "provides topical coverage of the IMF's activities, policies, and research in the context of global economic and financial developments."
This report "provides semiannual assessments of global financial markets and addresses emerging market financing in a global context."
OECD
OECD members represent 30 of the world's most highly industrialized nations. Though the organization focuses its work on the industrialized world it does track and provide information on non-member nations. OECD publishes a wide variety of economic outlooks as well as social and performance indicators. Outlooks are generally produced for individual countries and regions, and also for themes, such as education, migration, or the environment. Some key titles are:
This title aims to measure how various societies are progressing. To do so, the authors examine "quantitative social trends and policies across the OECD....and include information on...demography and family characteristics, employment and unemployment, poverty and inequality, social and health care expenditure, and work and life satisfaction."
This title provides "detailed information on recent labour market developments, and in-depth analysis of the effects of various policy measures and prospects through the upcoming year. Emphasis is on OECD countries, but some non-member countries are often included.
This is the OECD's "twice-yearly analysis of the major economic trends and prospects for the next two years and includes a consistent set of projections for output, employment, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments."
World Bank
In addition to the key titles described below, UBC Library has an extensive collection of materials from the World Bank. The World Bank focuses most of its efforts on spurring financial & social development in non-industrialized countries. Typical themes include: globalization, environmental sustainability, social exclusion, corruption, financial assessment, education, health care, conflict, poverty, and migration.
This is "is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. It provides over 900 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in more than 80 tables, as well as important regional data and income group analysis in six thematic sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links."
This report is prepared jointly by the World Bank and the IMF. Its overall theme is global development and each year concentrates on a special theme - usually related to an aspect of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDGs). Past themes include MDGS and: governance, gender equality, donors, and the environment.
This report tackles a different theme related to development each year. Past themes include: sustainable development, investment, services & the poor, inequality of opportunity, agriculture & knowledge for development.