Resource Desk

The report is a twice a year Asian Development Bank publication on Asian and Pacific development and research issues. The online pdf format editions are free of charge with a fee based subscription for hard copies.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

An annual publication of the Asian Development Bank on “Key Indicators of Developing Asian and Pacific Countries”. It provides 30 regional tables of socio-economic and financial indicators, including the Millennium Development Goals indicators, for 44 developing member countries of ADB. Free online version of current and past issues and a fee based subscription for hard copies.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The African Competitiveness Report identifies and measures the competitive strength of 29 African countries. Competitiveness and Investment Climate Profiles are available for each country. The website provides access only to selected issues and country profiles (available in Adobe Acrobat format).

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 11/5/2009

Tags: Africa

The Brazil Competitiveness Report, published by the World Economic Forum, provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s current competitiveness landscape, highlighting strengths and problematic areas. The 2009 issue explores issues such as infrastructure, public institutions, environmental sustainability, business sophistication, foreign direct investment, and innovations in the agribusiness sector.

Tags: Brazil

A publication of The International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), BRIDGES Monthly Review provides information about various developmental and environmental concerns relating to international trade. It analyzes the interface between trade and sustainable development and addresses the growing number of participants involved in the global trade debate. (Also available in pdf format)

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

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. Also benchmarking reports that provide information about the most recent performance metrics are available in industry-specific, cross-industry, and subject-specific format. Corollary to the benchmarking reports are the Best Practies/Practix reports of leading companies in their industry. eCommerce Papers are also provided. A free registration is required to reach most of the sites.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Publications page of the Cato Institute for Trade Policy Studies contains research focused on the understanding of free trade and the costs of protectionism. The publications are ordered by date and sorted into topics such as Trade Policy Analysis and Free Trade Bulletins.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Authors of the report study the spread of economic freedom and found that it does not spread as strongly as might be suggested by the emphasis this idea has been given in US foreign policy. In the report, the implications of these results for foreign policy are discussed and the report offers some predictions about the future path, and spread, of global economic freedom. The current 2008 report is based on year 2006 data and is available in PDF format.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

A collaboration between CIESIN, the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, the World Economic Forum and the European Community's Joint Research Center. The report provides sustainability measures for 146 countries, and includes detailed sections on analysis and methodology, as well as country reports and data tables. The report and appendices are available in PDF along with Excel data spreadsheets for all countries considered. While the report is released periodically, 2005 is the most recent version.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was founded on the premise of free trade as a means of achieving growth and prosperity amongst Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland as well as promoting closer economic co-operations between the Western European countries. The EFTA Bulletin is a periodically released publication and available in PDF form.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

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 192 countries and 14 related territories. The latest report for 2007 is provided online, as well as an archive of the rankings starting with the 1999-2000 report. The Press Freedom 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. Also listed under Research: Multi-Country.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Provided by Transparency International, the 2008 Global Corruption Report focuses on corruption as a cause for crisis in the water sector.  Scholars and professionals document the impact of corruption in the sector, with case studies offering suggestions for reform. The report provides a snapshot of corruption-related developments in different countries as well as summaries of research. Previous Global Corruption Reports are also available on topics ranging from health to political corruption. Annually updated, the book can be purchased in print form or can be downloaded (free) in pdf format.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

A report produced in cooperation with INSEAD, World Economic Forum, and the World Bank, it ranks the world economies in terms of its networked readiness and its effects on economic growth and productivity. The rankings as well as a selection of chapters are available online. Resource also listed under the Statistical Data Sources category.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Provided by the Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce, this publication is a source of detailed statistical information regarding the world's population. Analysis is provided on population, fertility, mortality, contraceptive use, and related demographic topics. The publication is not published annually and the most recent publication was in March 2004 for the year 2002.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Key World Energy Statistics is a publication produced by the International Energy Agency, 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. Resource is available in PDF form.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

The India Competitiveness Review, published by the World Economic Forum, provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s current competitiveness landscape, highlighting strengths and problematic areas, and shedding light on India’s future economic prospects. It also compares India's performance with that of other major emerging economies. Report and executive summary are available in PDF format.

The International Energy Agency’s Economic Analysis Division publishes an annual, comprehensive report about the energy situation around the globe. This report, The World Energy Outlook, looks from 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.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Global Employment Trends report examines patterns in global employment and economic growth. The report looks at previous trends, relates these to current times and discusses labor market challenges. Report can be viewed as a PDF file and is available in English, French, and Spanish. Previous reports can be accessed through links on the right site of the page.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

The World Employment Report is the flagship publication by the ILO and examines the changing context in which women and men are trying to achieve income security for themselves and their families. The 2004-2005 report is the most recent as new publications are released sporadically . The 2004-2005 edition examines the impact of the new information and communication technologies on life at work at a time when the global employment situation still remains of considerable concern. Unfortunately, none of the full reports are available to download. However, the press kits, which provide a fairly detailed overview for each section, are online. Press kits for previous years are also posted.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The World Economic Outlook is published biannually by the 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. The latest edition was published in July 2008. Past reports are also available for download in PDF format.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

Published by the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO, this quarterly magazine focuses on trade promotion, export development, and import methods as part of its technical cooperation program with developing countries and economies in transition. Specific themes are addressed on the site and can be found on the left side bar and articles from past issues can be accessed for free (Also available in Spanish and French).

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The report is an annual research publication prepared by the research department of the Inter-American Development bank. The 2007 Report analyzes the nature and evolution of sovereign debt in Latin America and discusses policies that can be followed by institutions to reduce vulnerabilities associated with it. The website also provides past publications as well.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Competitive Alternatives is a comprehensive report that compares business costs in North America, Europe, and Asia. It combines 27 cost components that comprise the most significant cost variations among global locations. The report is segmented by industry and includes various Manufacturing, Research and Development, Software, and Corporate Services industries.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

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. Publications are listed by date and can be browsed by research topic or region. Free registration is required to view publications.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Mexico Competitiveness Report provides a comprehensive assessment of the country’s current competitiveness landscape, highlighting strengths and problematic areas. A collaboration between the World Economic Forum and Harvard University, the 2009 report explores several key issues relating to Mexico's competitiveness including: growth diagnostics, climate change impact, NAFTA, lending, and education.

The OECD Employment Outlook, is published annually and includes an analysis of the latest labour market trends and short-term forecasts, and examines key labour market developments. A fee-based subscription is required to access the most recent Outlook, however, previous editions and select tables from the current edition are available for free in PDF format.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/29/2008

The OECD Economic Outlook, is published online twice a year (June and December) 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. A fee-based subscription is required to access the most recent Outlook, however, previous editions are available for free using PDF (Acrobat).

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Pew 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, and commentary and the "Reports" tab on the top of the page brings the user to a list of survey reports organized by date.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The 12th Annual Global CEO survey, "balancing the global equation," examines the shift that has occurred in the relationship between companies in the mature economies and those from rapidly developing economies. The report is free and can be downloaded in PDF form or ordered by mail.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 6/2/2009

The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism specializes in using empirical methods to evaluate news coverage. Their goal is "to help both the journalists who produce the news and the citizens who consume it develop a better understanding of what the press is delivering, how the media are changing, and what forces are shaping those changes."

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 5/18/2009

Tags: Media and Communications

FITA published this bi-weekly newsletter that includes information useful for anyone interested in international trade. Each issue features some of FITA's "Really Useful Links". Along with each link is a brief description and reasons why the site is helpful.

The Journal publishes thoroughly researched articles on issues relevant to developing nations. Volumes back to 1997 can be accessed and the user is able to receive notifications when new material is added to the site. The Journal is welcome to all kinds contributions from researchers in the academic or business fields.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has published a number of studies, contained within the volume, that elaborate on key issues relating to the globalization of research and development (R&D) and its implications for developing countries. (The volume is available for purchase, but a limited amount of information is available for free.)

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

A comprehensive report on the 50 least developed countries (LDC’s). The Least Developed Countries Report 2007 focuses on knowledge accumulation, technological learning and the ability to innovate as vital processes toward genuine productive capacity development in these countries. PDF files of the report and chapter overviews are available for download.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

An analysis of the “trends and outlooks” of the world economy with focus on the future of developing countries. It attempts to address questions such as why developing countries continue earning relatively less, while trading more.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

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. Reports are available from 1991 and full reports are downloadable as PDF files in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The Human Development Report is an independent report commissioned by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and is the product of a selected team of leading scholars, development practitioners and members of the Human Development Report Office of UNDP. The report was first created in 1990 with the idea of putting people back at the center of the development process. The full report is available to view using Acrobat (PDF) and an archive of past reports is also included.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

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

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

A series of Industrial Development Reports (IDR) from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) that address crucial and emerging issues facing developing countries and economies in the global economy. The downloadable PDF documents that include a “Statistical Annex” are available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Resource is also listed under the Statistical Data Sources category.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The World Health Report is an annual publication from the World Health Organization 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 1995.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/30/2008

Beyond Transition is a quarterly publication of the World Bank's Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Department. The Newsletter covers the key policy issues and policy processes in countries undergoing transition in Europe and Central Asia. The site offers analyses and lessons across countries, and presents interdisciplinary work in fields such as economics, law, and politics. Most recent publication is dated Septmber 28, 2007.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 10/2/2008

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.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 10/2/2008

Global Economic Prospects 2008: Technology Diffusion in the Developing World concentrates on the technology gap between rich and poor countries and what developing countries need to do to close the gap. The entire report can be downloaded in PDF format. Also available are reports from previous years.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/30/2008

In 1998, a joint meeting of the UN, the OECD, and the World Bank proposed 21 indicators to track progress towards international development goals. Now, the World Development Indicators is the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development. Information is organized into six sections: worldview, people, environment, economy, states and markets, and global links. WDI 2007 includes more than 900 indicators and covers 152 economies. Most of the data is only available through subscription. Also listed under Statistical Data Sources.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

The World Development Report is an annual publication of the World Bank that focuses on a different economic, social and environmental topic affecting the state of the world today. In addition to detailed analysis and data on this specific topic, 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 Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Global Risk Reports highlight the need for new thinking and concerted action on a number of problems and are published by the World Economic Forum in response to a changing global risk landscape. Reports can be viewed as PDF files and are supplemented by videos on specific topics.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

Provided by the Population Reference Bureau, the World Population Data Sheet (available in PDF) contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for over 200 countries. A nice feature of the website is the "Datafinder" a search tool, accessible from the main menu at the top of the page. It can be used to find data by country, region, sub-region or worldwide. More reports and quick facts are also available at the site's home page. Resource also listed under Statistical Data Resources category.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

A guide to the global environment from World Resources Institute. World Resources Report provides the international development community information with which to shape environmental policy and reform institutions. The most recent report published is from 2005 and previous reports are available through scrollable links on the right side of the menu.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals

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 next year, global trade and output developments, and more. The entire report is available for download using Acrobat (PDF). Also listed under Statistical Data Sources.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals, Global

This annual publication by the World Trade Organization summarizes the current state of world trade and global trade policy. Each year, WTO focuses on new developments in world trade or a current issue affecting the world. Report is available for download in complete form as well as by chapter or section.

Last reviewed by globalEDGE on 9/1/2008

Tags: News & Periodicals