Economic, Legal & Political Issues

Atlas of Human Rights: Mapping Violations of Freedom Around the Globe
Location: MILLS Maps (1st floor) G 1046 .E625F34 2010
Amnesty International Online
Includes human rights information by country.
Business Ready (B-READY) (coming soon) / Doing Busines Archive 2004-2020 (World Bank)
Provides indicators of the cost of doing business by identifying specific regulations that enhance or constrain business investment, productivity, and growth. Regions and countries are ranked on topics such as starting a business, enforcing contracts, licenses, hiring and firing, credit, taxes, and cross border trading. Also includes annual reports for countries and links to laws.
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre
Site tracks the positive and negative impacts of over 10,000 companies worldwide. Search or browse by companies and issues.
Business Risk Dashboard (Coface)
Includes country risk and business climate assessments for 160+ countries and 13 sectors. Assessments based on macroeconomic, financial and political data. Provides an estimate of the average credit risk on a country’s businesses which gives an indication of a country’s potential influence on businesses’ financial commitments.
See also Coface's Handbook of Country Risk located in STORAGE HG 4538.R496 [2002-2017].
Central Bank and Monetary Authority Websites (Bank for International Settlements)
A list of central banks by country.
CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
A full-text database containing working papers, journals, books, policy briefs and case studies related to international affairs.
Country Commercial Guides (CCG) (International Trade Administration)
"Reports on market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business customs prepared by U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies' professionals." Pick a country from one of the geography menus. Each guide typically includes these sections: Doing Business in; Leading Sectors for US Exports & Investments; Customs, Regulations & Standards; Selling US Products & Services; Business Travel; Investment Climate Statement; Political & Economic Environment.
Country Information (Travel.State.Gov - U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs)
Includes information on safety, security, crime, medical facilities, travel warnings and more for countries worldwide.
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) (Transparency International), 1995 to the present, some CPI reports also available for download
Scores 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.
Country Reports on Terrorism (U.S. Department of State)
Annual review of terrorist activities by country or region.
DBRS Morningstar
Search for a country name to locate a rating report which typically includes an analysis of a country's political environment and its economic structure & performance.
EconLit
Indexes articles from over 750 major economics journals.
EIU Viewpoint (Economist Intelligence Unit)
Provide access to economic data, along with analysis, commentary and forecasts for approximately 200 countries around the world. Pick a country from the drop-down Geography menu.
Fitch Solutions / BMI (Business Monitor International) Reports
Look for risk reports for specific countries. These reports typically include a SWOT analysis that assess the economic and political environments in a country.
Freedom House
A nongovernmental organization that assesses the level of government accountability, rule of law, and freedoms of expression and belief in countries worldwide.
Global Terrorism Database (GTD) (University of Maryland, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism)
An open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 to the present. Search or browse by date, region, country, perpetrator, weapon type, attack type and target type.
GlobaLex (Hauser Global Law School, NYU)
Resources are divided into several categories. The International Law Research section includes guides on over 20 topics (e.g., international terrorism, international trade, etc.) and the Foreign Law Research section contains entries on over 100 countries.
Global Slavery Index (Walk Free Foundation)
Ranks countries according to the number of people living as slaves. Includes anyone who is forced into unpaid labour or debt bondage, is trafficked for sex purposes, or is born into servitude.
Human Development Reports (United Nations Development Programme), 1990 to the present
Location of Print: MILLS Government Publications (2nd floor) UN2 DE-H72 [1990-2014] (Subscription Cancelled).
Human Rights Library (University of Minnesota)
Comprehensive site includes full-text documents, treaties, charters, international agreements, and more.
Human Rights Watch
Provides human rights reports by region, country and theme.
Human Security Report Project (HSRP) Reports (Center for Security Studies), 2005 to 2013
Provides information and analyses on global and regional trends in armed conflict and other forms of organized violence.
ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)
Provides labour related statistics (e.g., unemployment, hours of work, wages, etc.) for over 200 countries around the world.
International Labor Comparison [archived link], site discontinued (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Provides international comparisons of hourly compensation & productivity costs, consumer prices, employment rates and labor force participation rates for selected countries.
Investment Climate Statements, 2009 to current (U.S. Department of State)
Statements cover general characteristics, such as openness to foreign investment and treatment of foreign investors, as well as details about procedures for licensing and similar administrative matters.
Legal Systems of the World: A Political, Social, and Cultural Encyclopedia
Location: MILLS Reference (2nd floor) K 48.L44 2002 (4 volumes)
Mass Violence & Resistance (MV&R) - SciencesPo
An interdisciplinary online site focusing on 20th and 21st century massacres and genocides as well as on local resistance against mass violence.
Passport (Euromonitor)
To retrieve a report on a country's business environment (e.g., regulations, operating risks, access to finance, infrastructure, etc.), search for the words business dynamics and a country name (e.g., business dynamics USA). To retrieve a PEST report on a country (e.g.,political, economic, social and technological), search for the words PEST analysis with a country name (e.g.,PEST analysis Malta). To browse these and other reports on countries, mouseover Economies in the toolbar and select Business Dynamics and/or Economy, Finance and Trade from the menu.
Politics Collection
Indexes the international literature in political science and public administration/policy, along with related fields.
Risk Maps (Aon)- Some content requires registration
The 2019, 2020, 2021 and more recent editions provide insights into political risk, terrorism & political violence worldwide.
Year Book of Labour Statistics (International Labour Office)
Presents labour statistics (employment, unemployment, wages, hours of work, etc.) for more than 180 countries.
Location: MILLS Government Publications (2nd floor) UN9 L3-Y21 [1943 to 2009]