Data sources for development research

You might have seen Gunilla Pettersson’s excellent Development Data site mentioned recently on Dani Rodrik’s blog. Any development researcher will find riches in what Gunilla has carefully amassed and organized. Here are some other general-interest sources of data for empirical research on economic development:

• Masayuki Kudamatsu at Stockholm University maintains the useful Devecondata Blog.
• Harvard’s Center for International Development keeps a rich data site.
• Bill Easterly (NYU/Brookings/CGD) hosts the Global Development Network Growth Database.
• Don’t forget more traditional data sites like the World Bank’s, the Penn World Tables, the DHS surveys, the LSMS surveys, the Total Economy Database, and the ILO’s child labor survey microdata.
• Long-run historical data are available in free databases like the League of Nations Statistical Yearbooks and in proprietary databases like Global Financial Data, the Cross-National Time Series Data Archive, and Mitchell’s International Historical Statistics.

There are many, many others beyond this smattering. Please put your favorite in the comments.