In response to Roth's request for titles of good games with economic background for several players:

I find that some political games have the same 'feel' as those involving straight economics: both involve gathering resources (money or votes) to win, or to use as leverage to force the other players into some action.

With that in mind, here are a few of my favorites:

Junta (West End Games): Good with 4 or more. Simulates a 'banana republic' complete with (very) corrupt politicians and generals. If you have the most political power (i.e., are elected El Presidente), you have control of the economic power (you get to hand out the money). However, you have to walk a fine line, for if the other players think you are skimming more than your fair share, they can vote you out of office or, as a last resort, launch a coup. This game's major failing is the military action on the board is just plain boring and unattractive: there are usually too few units involved in a coup to allow any kind of tactics or strategy. I'm not sure, but I think the designers intended this, so as to discourage a game from breaking down into an urban firefight every turn. (I have the expansion rules which add a few more players/offices to the game; has anyone out there seen anything which spices up the coups, perhaps by adding a few more units?)

Blood Royale (Games Workshop): designed for 5 exactly, playable with 4 but not. really any fewer. This. one's being discussed in another thread (qv). Basically, you represent a royal family in 1300 AD Europe. The object of the game is economic (gather the most money), and you can do it by trade, conquest, or arranged marriages (!). However, there isn't much you can do with your money except buy military forces.

Kremlin (Avalon Hill): 3-6 players; I've played several 3-player games, which were fun, perhaps 1 or 2 games with more, which were also enjoyable. There's no economic component here, only political, but there's a lot of humor, even though it's a bit dated now 8-). The board represents a pyramid-shaped power structure of the Soviet Union's government. The object is to get your man to the top. The most clever part of this game is that no one really knows which character you are backing (they are chosen secretly at the start of the game), so there's lots of room for trickery.

Republic of Rome (Avalon Hill): 3-6 players; best with 6. This one is sort of the 'flip side' of Junta: the players represent political factions in ancient Rome, fighting over political and economic power. However, the government itself usually has so many expenses (fighting wars, etc.) that there isn't usually enough leftover cash to make anyone rich. If you can pile up a big wad, you can use it at an opportune moment to have yourself declared 'Consul for Life' and win.

Supremacy (? I don't own it): 3-6 players, best with at least 4. It looks like Risk, and can easily turn into a 'conquer the world' game, but there are levels and styles of play involving market manipulation which can change the flavor of the game into a 'Cold War'/'resource cartel' struggle. To enjoy this one, though, you have to play it with people who really know it well and will help a newbie get started, rather than just pasting you when you make a mistake...

That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope this helps (and gets some discussion going on my favorite type of game)!