Dear friends, many of you have often complained that this column only features science-related websites and neglects the social sciences. So respecting the sentiments of the non-science brigade, this week we will have a dekko at an excellent site on economics from the stable of the about.com websites, that has a range of sites on education, lifestyle, careers etc.

This week?s website is called www.economics.about.com. Founded in 1997, about.com is one of the oldest entities on the web and according to Nielson NetRatings, it ranks among the top-15 web properties used by one out of every five people on the Internet. The website follows a unique idea of letting a guide ? highly-qualified in the topic he/she is hosting ? take you through the site. Your guide here is Mike Moffatt, a microeconomist finishing his PhD in management science.

Once you reach the homepage of the site take a deep breath and get ready for action ? and lots of it. To your left on the content bar there are five sections listed under the heading ?Essentials?. You may begin with the micro, macro or econometrics help sections depending on the topic you want to go through.

For example, if you are troubled by econometrics, the dreadfulness of which most students of the subject will vouch for, check out the econometrics help section, which lists articles and resources on the topic. From Okun?s law to t-tests ? it?s all there for you to explore.

After browsing through all the regular stuff, if you feel like testing yourself on your knowledge of economics, all the sections have quizzes on various topics. This is a real treat for all economics students. A must visit!

Abhinay Dey

abhinay@abpmail.com