EconLit
The American Economic Association's index — the curated standard for economics literature.
At a Glance
- Publisher
- American Economic Association (AEA)
- Coverage
1.6M+ records of journal articles, working papers, books, dissertations, and book reviews in economics since 1886, with JEL classification (verify current counts).
- Access
Institutional subscription via EBSCO, ProQuest, or Ovid.
- Free alternative
- RePEc/IDEAS for a free, working-paper-rich alternative.
- Regional
Global; the authoritative economics index, English-leaning.
Our Take
EconLit is the curated counterpart to RePEc — the AEA’s index, organised by the JEL classification that economists use to describe their own field, which makes for precise, reproducible searching across a deep historical record. For systematic literature work in economics it is the reliable, quality-controlled backbone. The trade-offs are cost and currency: it is a paid database accessed through various platforms, and for the very newest results the working papers on RePEc will be ahead of it. Use EconLit as your precision economics index; pair it with RePEc to catch the pre-publication literature.
Power Tips
- Search by JEL classification codes for reproducible, comprehensive economics reviews.
- Note which host platform you are on (EBSCO, ProQuest, Ovid) — the interface and syntax differ.
- Pair with RePEc/IDEAS so you do not miss working papers that predate journal publication.
Alternatives & Complements
RePEc/IDEAS, Scopus, Web of Science, Business Source
Figures last verified: June 15, 2026