Global | Region Specific

Provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the annual Global Reports analyze the productivity of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial employees in 54 economies, spanning diverse geographies and a range of development levels. Research is provided through the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association of the London Business School.

The World Employment and Social Outlook - Trends is a flagship publication by the International Labour Organization that examines the latest statistics and projections on several indicators of the labor market. The data includes items such as global employment/unemployment, continuing inequality, falling wage shares, and other factors driving the rising middle class. The report also addresses structural factors affecting the world of work.

The fDi Report 2018 focuses on global trends in cross-border investments. Key trends detailed in the report include the top destinations for FDI, the implications of Brexit, and regional FDI trends. Users may download a free copy of the report by completing an online form.

The Arab World Competitiveness Report 2013, published by the World Economic Forum, contains information about key factors determining the future prosperity and economic growth of Arab countries and sub-regions (Levant, North Africa, and Gulf countries) ranging from structural reforms and regional integration to savings and foreign direct investment.

The Asian Development Review is a semiannual Asian Development Bank publication on Asian and Pacific development and research issues. The online PDF editions are free of charge with a fee based subscription for hard copies. Renowned scholars may submit their own articles for publication in the journal.

Business Advantage International is an agency that primarily works with countries in the Asia-Pacific to promote trade and investment opportunities. Their Business Advantage series is a collection of guides that provide business and investment information for several Asia-Pacific countries, including Indonesia, New Caledonia, and Samoa. All of these guides are available for free on the website.

CAPS Research is a nonprofit research organization dedicated to purchasing and supply chain issues. It provides research reports (focus studies) on critical issues in supply chain management. The site also includes benchmarking reports, CPO Insights, and PRACTIX reports of leading companies in their industry. Research publications are published generally once a month, and Annual Reports are available in PDF format. A free registration is required to reach most of the content.

The Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report, produced by the Cato Institute, ranks countries based on freedom of exchange, market coordination, rule of law, security of property rights, and other dimensions related to economic freedom. Current and past versions of the report are available in PDF format.

The Publications page of the Cato Institute contains research focused on the understanding of business topics such as finance, banking, monetary policy, tax, and budget policy. The publications are ordered by publication type and sorted into categories such as commentary, books, reviews, journals, and policy studies.

Euromoney provides featured articles on the markets of various regions and countries of the world. Each feature article includes extensive and insightful information on the business environment of the countries, banking, and investment, primarily from a financial and economic perspective. The site publishes benchmark polls, awards, and surveys. A subscription with a fee is required to view certain parts of the website.

The Freedom in the World survey evaluates the state of political rights and civil liberties around the world. The survey provides ratings and narrative reports for 193 countries and 15 related territories. The report has been published annually since 1972; reports from 2002 to present are available online. The Freedom of the Press Survey is an annual country-by-country worldwide assessment of press freedom. The survey examines press laws, political and economic constraints on news reporting, and cases of press freedom violations. The Nations in Transit is a comprehensive annual progress report on the status of the political and economic reforms in the emerging democracies and transitional countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The International Business Report (IBR) by Grant Thornton is a quarterly survey of senior executives at private companies. The report surveys over 12,000 businesses in 45 economies around the globe regarding economic and commercial issues of both listed and privately-held businesses. Results of the report may be viewed by the interactive data visualization tool provided by the site, or by selecting specific reports by year. All reports are available for free download in PDF format and an archive is available containing reports dating from 1992. 

Published by the Harvard Business School (HBS), HBS Working Knowledge contains excerpts of selected articles, books, and publications. It is organized by a wide range of business topics. The excerpts are available free of charge. While some articles can be downloaded for free in PDF format, others must be purchased.

The International Business Ethics Institute (IBEI) is an organization that specializes in developing programs for promoting global ethics. The Institute has published two books and maintains a downloadable journal, The International Business Ethics Review. Links to purchase the books are available as well as journal issues and specific articles in PDF format.

The Key World Energy Statistics is a publication produced by the International Energy Agency (IEA), one of the world’s most authoritative sources for energy statistics. It contains current data on the supply, transformation, and consumption of all major energy sources. Some data is downloadable from the website.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) publishes an annual, comprehensive report about the energy situation around the globe. This report, The World Energy Outlook, looks 20 to 30 years into the future and bases its projections on the World Energy Model. The full report must be purchased, but the executive summary can be downloaded for free and provides an overview of important topics covered.

The World Economic Outlook is published semiannually by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The data is the product of a comprehensive interdepartmental review of world economic developments, which draws primarily on information the IMF staff gathers through its consultations with member countries. Past reports are also available for download in PDF format.

Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific is an annual publication of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It provides economic, financial, social, environmental, and Millennium Development Goals indicators for regional members of the ADB. Free online versions of current and past issues are available in PDF and XLS format, as well as a fee based subscription for hard copies.

The McKinsey Global Institute aims to help business leaders and policy makers understand the evolution of the global economy and provide a fact base that integrates economics and management. Their research is listed by date and can be browsed by research topic or region. Topics included are: financial markets, labor markets, natural resources, competitiveness, technology and innovation, and urbanization.

The OECD Employment Outlook is published annually and includes an analysis of the latest labor market trends and short-term forecasts. It also provides a special section on earnings, job quality, and youth employment.

The OECD Observer is a publication of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It provides analysis of the global economy and social matters. The publication’s aim is to present issues affecting governments, businesses, NGOs, and civil society in a balanced manner.

The OECD Economic Outlook is published online semiannually and includes short-term projections for member countries, ideas on the appropriate setting and implementation of economic policies over the short-term future, and a review of economic trends and policies in a number of non-member economies.

The Global Risk Monitor (GRM) tracks the likelihood of our top ten global risks – the most serious and pertinent geopolitical and macroeconomic risks the world faces in the year ahead. The GRM’s rigorous and transparent methodology helps businesses and policymakers track emerging risks and measure their impact on geopolitics, macroeconomics and investor interests – all available through a user-friendly, fully interactive interface which links directly to further analysis from the Oxford Analytica Daily Brief. Resource requires website membership in order to view full report.

The Pew Research Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys ranging from people's assessments of their own lives to their views about the current state of the world and important issues of the day. The homepage provides links to featured reports, research, commentary, and survey reports.

The Policy Network is an independent educational organization that seeks to bring down barriers to enterprise and trade by informing its users about market solutions to public policy problems. Policy Network produces a series of publications on topics pertaining to trade, health, sustainable development, economic development, and international aid that are available in PDF.

The Global CEO Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers asks CEOs around the world about a selected international business topic each year. Video highlights of the interviews, key findings, and data from the research are available online. Available in PDF format.

The International Economy Magazine is a quarterly publication that provides information on global financial policy, trends in economics, and international trade. The magazine is primarily marketed toward elite financial officers all around the world. Articles are available on the website from current and past issues in PDF format. A fee-based subscription is required to view some of the articles, as well as to receive hard copies.

A publication of JOC Group Inc., The Journal of Commerce Online is an interactive business tool for industry experts that provides breaking news, market analyses, sailing schedules, logistics tools, market data, and links to other important resources. Features include webcasts, podcasts, and videos that cover common commerce topics, such as maritime news, trucking logistics, intermodal shipping, air cargo, trade regulations, and trade logistics. Some content is limited without a membership.

The annual National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers provides an overview of major trade barriers impacting the exchange of goods in the United States. It also addresses actions taken to eliminate trade barriers around the globe. Reports from previous years can also be found on the site. All reports open in PDF format.

UHY International is a global network of accounting and consulting firms in over 86 countries. Their website releases several publications regarding various subjects, including doing business, global transfer pricing, and case studies. All articles and publications are available in PDF format.

This publication, presented by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) elaborates on key issues relating to the globalization of research and development (R&D) and its implications for developing countries. It is a collection of submissions presented at UNCTAD Expert Meeting on FDI in Research and Development held in January 2005. The volume is available for purchase, but a limited amount of information is available for free.

The World Investment Report covers the latest trends in foreign direct investment around the world. One topic related to foreign direct investment and development is selected and analyzed in depth each year. Yearly reports include data on foreign direct investment flows in various countries and regions. Full reports are available starting from 1991 as downloadable PDF files. 

The Human Development Report is an independent report commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). This site includes the Human Development Reports which can be filtered by year, region, and theme. Each report provides agenda-setting data and analysis. The report brings attention to international issues and policy options that place people at the center of strategies to meet the obstacles of development. The full report is available to view in PDF format.

Each year since 1978, the United Nations Population Fund has published a report highlighting new developments in population. The report is available in html or PDF format. Previous years' reports are also accessible.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development issues a comprehensive report on the least developed countries (LDCs). These countries are designated as LDCs by the United Nations and the list is reviewed every 3 years. PDF files of the report and chapter overviews are available for download.

The World Bank Development Indicators publication is a compilation of the development data and statistics from their research publications. Data is sorted by country (across indicators) as well as by topic (across countries). Available in Excel and CSV formats.

Global Development Finance tracks the annual movement of international capital flows to developing countries and discusses selected analytical and policy issues in international finance for developing countries. The complete report is available online and includes over 200 time series indicators from 1970 to 2013. Available in PDF and Excel formats.

Global Economic Prospects offers analysis and advice concerning the prospects for economic growth, world trade, financial flows, primary commodities, and the impact of global economic trends on developing countries. It also provides global and regional economic forecasts. Available in PDF.

The World Development Report is an annual publication of the World Bank that focuses on varying economic, social, and environmental topics affecting the state of the world today. In addition to detailed analysis and data on specific topics, the report also offers selected World Development Indicators-- statistical tables providing instant access to the most current data available on social and economic development in more than 200 economies. The complete current report with statistical tables as well as previous editions are accessible online in PDF format.

The report identifies and measures the underlying factors that contribute to high rates of economic growth in the medium term (a time horizon of about 5 years). These factors are quantified and then combined into an Index of Competitiveness. The website provides access only to an interactive map (link on right column) that provides the current state of world countries with various hotspots clickable for detailed explanation. The report is available in PDF format; rankings are available in PDF and Excel formats.

A report produced in cooperation with INSEAD, World Economic Forum, and the World Bank, the Global Information Technology Report ranks the world economies in terms of networked readiness and effects on economic growth and productivity. The rankings as well as a selection of chapters are available online.

The Global Risks report highlights the need for new thinking and concerted action on a number of problems. The report is published by the World Economic Forum in response to a changing global risk landscape. Available in PDF and supplemented by videos on specific topics.

The Africa Competitiveness Report identifies and measures the competitive strength of a number of African countries. Competitiveness and Investment Climate Profiles are available for each country. The website provides access only to selected issues and country profiles. This resource downloads the 2017 edition of the report in PDF format, the most updated version from the World Bank.

The World Health Statistics Report is an annual publication from the World Health Organization (WHO) that provides analysis of the increasingly important influence of health systems in the daily lives of people worldwide. The report also includes basic statistical data for member countries. The current report is available using Acrobat (PDF) and there is also access to previous reports dating back to 2005.

Provided by the Population Reference Bureau, the World Population Data Sheet contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for over 200 countries. 

The World Resources Report issued by the World Resources Institute provides the international development community analysis and insight with which to shape environmental and reform policy. The report is published annually, and previous reports are also available on this website. The site also contains sections on expert perspectives, case studies, in-country scenarios, and decision making.

International Trade Statistics is an annual report that provides comprehensive, comparable and up-to-date statistics on trade in merchandise and commercial services for an assessment of world trade flows by country, region and main product groups or service categories. The overview explains the main features of trade for the past year, an outlook towards trade in the current year, global trade and output developments, and more. The entire report is available for download using Acrobat (PDF). 

The World Trade Report summarizes the current state of world trade and global trade policy. Each year, the World Trade Organization (WTO) focuses on new developments in world trade or a current issue affecting the world. Available in PDF format.