Resource Desk

Maintained by the Australian Trade Commission to assist Australian Exporters with their activities, most of this site's content has been created with the Australian firm in mind. However, the Country Info section contains information useful to everyone. Each country's profile includes a doing business guide with sections for business etiquette, investment policies, labor laws, and business traveler information.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Provided by the BBC News-UK edition, the Country profiles section features general information, history, and political and economic background including audio and video clips for each country according to region.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

This site provides business and political information for many Asian countries. Business in Asia highlights specific counties and includes information for those interested in the manufacturing industry. Travelers to these areas will find the site helpful as it provides information about embassies, links for research, and places to visit.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 3/31/2009

Industry Canada provides extensive information on each country including Economic Trends, Investment Climate, Country Commercial Guides, International Business Practices guides, and industry sector information, among others. The information is all available in the form of PDF files, listed under the various subcategories on the site. All countries have demographic information from the CIA World Factbook.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/23/2008

Tags: Canada

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada offers detailed reports on foreign markets to Canadian businesses and organizations. Site requires a registration to view market reports. Also available in French.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/26/2008

CSIS provides strategic insights and policy solutions to current and emerging global issues. Users can find analyses about regional affairs, international stability, and political risk. In addition, insights about longer-range consequences of current practices and policies (global aging, energy, among others) are available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: Global Threats and Political Risk

The World Factbook is produced annually by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of US Government officials, and the style, format, coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific requirements. The documents contain all vital information and statistics, under the following headings: Geography; People; Government; Economy; Communications; Transportation; Transnational Issues; Defense Forces. The current version is for 2008. Also listed under Journals and Publications.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/9/2008

Country Commercial Guides are detailed business reports written for each country by the U.S. Commercial Service. The reports include a comprehensive analysis about the business environment of the country as well as information for currently available opportunities for U.S. companies. To access the reports, select "Country Commercial Guide (CCG)" under the "Report Type" field, and select a country of interest from the "Country" field. The most current version, as well as several years of archives, is available for each country.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/9/2008

The U.S. State Department provided reports on general economic and trade statistics for a large number of countries around the world through 2001. Although this publication is no longer updated, the information presented provides a valuable insight into direct investment, economic indicators, and balance of payments. Use the menu on the left to access the reports for various years.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 11/21/2008

CountryWatch provides users with up-to-date news, statistical data, comprehensive country backgrounds, country maps, and in-depth policital, economic, investment, social, and environmental overviews.  This information is available under a fee-based subscription but the site does offer a free 3-day trial.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/3/2009

The Deloitte Country Guides provide information available for download in PDF format for a large number of countries. The focus is on investment climate, including issues such as taxation, business regulation, foreign investments, and labor issues. 

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/9/2008

This Department for International Development (DFID), an organization of the United Kingdom government, provides Country Profiles for countries receiving funding from the Department. The reports give a brief summary of the progress made by less developed countries in areas such as economic and political situations. The site focuses on under-developed countries, and should a country rise in income status, the Department phases out its country program in the area. As a result, information for a few of the countries has not been updated.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 4/7/2009

Provided by the Economist.com, in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit, this site contains comprehensive information on 86 countries including country profiles, recent news, political and economic forecasts, statistics, and more. Also provided are Country Forecasts, which provide mid- and long-term economic projections for these countries for a subscription fee.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/9/2009

Web site provides detailed overviews of the energy resources and usage for each country in the world. The resource is updated regularly and can be downloaded as PDF files.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Eldis provides information on world development issues. The Country Profiles section of Eldis features news, statistics, organizations and sector information by country. Other information also available from the Eldis include resource guides, recent news and events, and links to key development websites.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/10/2008

Emerging Markets Online is a market research service specializing in the energy and utilities sectors of the developing world. A catalog of expert industry databases, market research studies, industry newsletters and daily headline news services as well as consulting services are provided. Only basic headlines and sample reports are available for free. All other services and reports are offered for a fee-based subscription.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/10/2008

Energy Asia is an energy industry portal for the Asia Pacific region. Site includes public articles, conferences, publications, and latest headlines  in the oil, gas, power and petrochemical industries in the region. Energy Asia also provides an online directory, energy data from several Asian countries, and an energy bookstore.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/10/2008

The Business & Economics section of EurasiaNet provides information for the following countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. For each country, a series of resource links are provided on topics like businesses, brief history, and others.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Euromoney Publications PLC provides feature articles on various regions and countries of the world, extracted from a range of Euromoney publications. Each feature article includes extensive and insightful information on the business environment of the countries, primarily from a financial and economic perspective. Free registration is required for some parts of the site.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Euromonitor is a fee-based subscription service that provides detailed analysis on multiple global industries. While the actual reports are only available for purchase, the site includes insight articles, reference book listings, global and country reports, and company profiles. Informative free executive summaries for all the reports that are sold are also available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

This archive contains over two year's worth of posts on different international markets including Poland, Egypt, Kenya, Azerbaijan, and others. Each profile contains information on market potential, government structure, trade agreements, business and political climate, and market research.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 1/12/2009

Provided by the U.S. Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS), the Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) country reports are “market access reports” that provide technical specifications for food and agricultural imports for countries worldwide. Downloadable reports are available by country in PDF and WordPerfect formats.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Financial Times publishes approximately 200 country and industry surveys annually which appear with copies of the newspaper most days of the week. Topics include financial markets, global industries, business management and developed and emerging countries. A summary is available for free, however the full reports are accessible only through an FT.com subscription.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Freedom House publishes three studies a year dealing with political issues. The Freedom in the World survey evaluates the state of political rights and civil liberties around the world, providing ratings and narrative reports for 192 countries and 18 related territories. The Press Freedom Survey is an annual country-by-country worldwide assessment of freedom of the press, examining 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 27 emerging democracies and transitional countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Archived reports are available for all three publications. Also listed under News & Periodicals: Publications.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

The Formulation of the European Union module provides information on the following: the major events that led to the creation of the European Union; what countries formed the original European Union; the circumstances surrounding the acceptance of new members and which countries are vying for a place in the EU; the EU’s policy-making bodies; the basic goals of EU policy in the areas of employment and social affairs, external trade, internal market, and regional policy; the function of the five main institutions within the European Union; and how and why the Euro came into existence.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 2/5/2009

Tags: Europe

Geared towards a younger audience, geographic.org helps the user learn more about world geography. Specialty topics link to climate, flags, maps, and countries. The “Country Ranks” feature positions 231 countries in various economic and demographic statistics.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

GEM is a not-for-profit research program focused on providing data on entrepreneurial activity for over 40 countries. The site includes research and publications on a number of different topics and through its "National Reports", GEM gives country-specific entrepreneurial information on an annual basis

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/10/2008

Global Insight provides the most comprehensive economic, financial, and political coverage of countries, regions, and industries available from any source—covering over 200 countries and spanning more than approximately 170 industries—using a unique combination of expertise, models, data, and software within a common analytical framework to support planning and decision making. A free trial is available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Current information on the business climate, news, history, political structure, economic landscape, and relevant statistical data are provided in a region and country-specific format, covering 197 countries. A rich collection of country and region specific international business links adds to the vast collection of information.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 11/4/2009

A joint effort of the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, the index scores the relative freedom of 162 world economies based on 10 factors -- trade policy, fiscal burden of government, government intervention in the economy, monetary policy, capital flows and foreign investment, banking and finance, wages and prices, property rights, regulation, and black market. The complete publication is available online.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 7/16/2009

Access to country reports written by the staff of the International Monetary Fund is provided. Publications include working papers, country reports, economic issues, and policy discussion papers, all in full text. Fee required to access full text, though a summary is often available free. Available only in PDF format. Also listed under Statistical Data Sources. (It takes a minute to load the website)

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Information Technology Landscape is a database on all facets of Information and Communication Technologies in over 80 nations. Each report is organized to highlight top insights to that country's technology, including telecommunications, internet, labor, regulation, policy, and national technological competencies. Since this site is in relation to a MBA course, new countries are added and old countries updated each semester.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is a public corporation established by the Canadian Parliament, whose mission is to aid developing countries through the use of science and technology. The site contains numerous publications which deal with improving the economic, social, and cultural aspects of these developing nations.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/11/2008

A joint initiative of Transparency International and University of Passau, the Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries by the extent of corruption in public administration. A new index is published every year. There is also a separate report on the willingness of leading exporting countries to bribe internationally. Currently, the latest index is for 2008. An alternative presentation of the index can be found on the Transparency International website.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 11/24/2008

Prepared by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, the series is comprised of 102 books, each of which examines a different foreign country. Each book looks at the particular country's history, society and environment, economy, government and politics, and national security. Most of the books have not been updated recently, but provide relevant background and historical information.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Link2 Exports provides country profiles in conjunction with the British Chamber of Commerce, which includes information on the economy, statistical data, and society and government information. Link 2 Exports also provides news and a comprehensive visitor’s guide to each country.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

A service provided by the European Commission in cooperation with member states, consists of a number of databases analyzing non-EU countries Market Access conditions, barriers to trade, among other relevant issues. Access to the Sectoral, Trade Barriers Database, Statistics, and Studies sections is free. However, information under the Exporters Guide, Applied Tariffs, and WTO Bound Tariffs is only available to users connecting from any of the 27 European Union member states.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Mondaq Business Briefing is a service dedicated to professionals and business people involved in international trade and investment. Legal, regulatory, and financial commentary, along with analysis and new updates from world leading professional advisors in over 80 countries on a multitude of international topics are provided free of charge. One time registration is required.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

FDI.net is a unique web portal that offers free, on-demand country analysis and information on all things related to foreign direct investment in 175 countries. The site combines business and public resources with World Bank Group analysis to provide users with a single entry point for the full-spectrum of information needed to make a decision about investing in a foreign country.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Maintained by the US Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Commanding Heights offers insight into globalization, world trade, and economic development with respect to the global economy. The Countries section of the web site offers reports on the economic development trends of 41 countries from 1910 to the 2002. A glossary of trade terms is also provided on this page, along with a special section for educators.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/11/2008

The PRS Group maintains multiple databases of country-specific information, reports and an international risk guide as part of its primary business, monitoring the climate for international business around the world. Most of these are only accessible to registered users for a fee, although there are free samples available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/11/2008

An online search portal for women owning businesses in the international spectrum.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 1/29/2009

The EIU produces objective and timely analysis and forecasts of the political, economic and business environment in almost 200 countries. It also produces reports on certain strategic industries and on the latest management thinking useful to multinational companies, exporters and importers, and any group that needs to know about political, economic and business developments across the world. Free registration is required to access some of its services.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

The EIU, a part of the Economist group, is an information provider for companies establishing and managing operations across national borders anywhere in the world. Viewswire features the latest online reports in politics, economics, finance, business, and regulations. Most reports are accessible only through a fee-based subscription (14 day free trial period). There is also customized versions of the website for Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, all in English.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Provided by the US Department of State, Background Notes contain information (such as facts on each country's history, economy, and government, among others) for all nations that the US has relations with. Information is updated as often as it is received for each country.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Copies of annual country reports on Human Rights Practices submitted by the U.S. Department of State to the U.S. Congress. In accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights are taken into account. Report for the most recent year and several past years are available on the site.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

UNICEF is usually known for its charity work for children. However, its website also provides news, articles, and background information on each country. Most of the content concerns children but the extensive statistical information that is given cover a wide range of topics including, economics, nutrition, health, education, and demographics. This site is also available in French, Spanish, and Arabic.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement for over 130 countries. They indicate the regulatory costs of business and can be used to analyze specific regulations that enhance or constrain investment, productivity and growth.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/11/2008

Worldmapper provides a unique graphical representation of global data spanning everything from trade to health statistics. The maps are generated to show the extent of each measure by color and size, giving an understandable overall picture of how the factor affects each part of the world. The best way to view the maps is in the PDF format. This site is useful for academicians, researchers, or anybody who wants to learn more about conditions across the globe.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/11/2008

An online database created by FedEx that gives up-to-date information on customs duties and tariffs of 118 countries for a wide variety of products categorized according to the Harmonized System (HS). A paid subscription is necessary to obtain information, but a free trial is available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

The World Trade Organization (WTO) periodically reviews all member countries' trade policies, depending on each country’s share of world trade. Trade Policy Reviews provides the press releases, summaries of Secretariat, governments’ reports, and chairpersons’ conclusions on these reviews. A complete list of reviews since 1995 is also available.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008