Open Access
Online source accessible to everyone, anywhere.
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Online source accessible to current McMaster students, faculty and staff only. MacID@mcmaster.ca required.
Country
Business Environment Snapshots [archived link] (World Bank)
Site combines data from various sites to measure the business climate in 183 countries. Each country snapshot includes highlights, rankings (e.g., doing business, corruption, regulatory quality, country credit, economic freedom, political risk rating), quantitative data, legislation (e.g., commercial and company laws, labour laws) analytical work and project portfolio. Select an economy/country from the drop-down business environment snapshot menu.
Business Risk Dashboard (Coface)
Includes over 160 country evaluations that provide an estimate of the average credit risk on a country’s businesses. Assessments (or rankings) of country risk and business climate give an indication of a country’s potential influence on businesses’ financial commitments. Choose a country from the drop-down menus to view profiles that include macroeconomic indicators, a list of strengths and weaknesses and country commentary.
See also Coface's Handbook of Country Risk located in STORAGE HG 4538.R496 [2002-2017].
Business Source Premier
Includes country reports. Search for a country name and filter results by Country Reports or click on Country Reports on the Advanced Search screen (Business Searching Interface) and browse reports by country.
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 Profiles (BBC News)
Select a country or territory from a drop-down menu. Overviews contain key country facts, leaders, media profiles and a timeline of key dates in history.
Country Profiles (NationMaster)
Centralizes country data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Resources Institute, UNESCO, UNICEF and OECD. Allows you to compare and rank countries on a variety of variables, including education, labour, economy and more. Statistical maps and charts can also be generated.
Country Studies (Library of Congress)
Contains social, political, economic, historical, and geographical information for countries around the world
DBRS Morningstar
Search for a country name to locate a rating report which typically identifies a country's strengths and challenges. An analysis of the country's currency, fiscal management & policy, debt & liquidity, economic structure & performance, monetary policy & financial stability, balance of payments, and political environment are included.
Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World
Provides cultural, political and trade data for 40 countries.
Location: MILLS Library (3rd floor), Innis Collection Reference HF 1416.M78 2001
EIU Viewpoint(Economist Intelligence Unit)
Provide access to economic data, along with analysis, commentary and forecasts for approximately 200 countries around the world.
Europa World Year Book
A good source of current facts and figures on countries around the world (not just Europe). Includes information on government systems & officials, political parties, economic statistics, and more. Organized alphabetically by country.
Location: MILLS and THODE Libraries JA 51. E89 [1989-2017] (Subscription Cancelled)
Eurostat: Your Key to European Statistics (European Commission)
Eurostat is the Statistical Office of the European Communities. Site provides the European Union with statistics at the European level which facilitates comparisons between countries and regions. Search for statistics or browse statistics alphabetically (A-Z) or by theme.
Factiva
Contains full-text newspapers from around the world and reports on companies.
globalEDGE: Global Insights by Country (Michigan State University)
Includes statistics and historical, economic and political conditions for nearly every country in the world.
Mergent Online
To access the country information, select a location from the drop-down Country Profile menu on home page (i.e., Basic search tab). Topics covered include history, geography, people, government, economy, communications and more.
McMaster's Library Catalogue (Omni)
In the Advanced Search, perform a Subject search in the library catalogue to find books and government publications on your country. Potentially useful subject headings: Country name plus -- Commerce; -- Economic Conditions; -- Economic Policy; -- Foreign Economic Relations; -- Politics and Government; -- Social Conditions; -- Social Life and Customs (e.g. Canada -- Politics and Government)
Nexis Uni
Includes U.S., Canadian and international company directories, market share information, industry reports, thousands of news sources, and country profiles.
OECD Factbook, 2005 to 2015
Includes country facts and statistics on over 200 indicators. Topics covered include population and migration; household income; trade and foreign direct investment (FDI); prices, interest rates and exchange rates; energy and transportation; labour, employment and unemployment; science and technology; environment; education; and health status, risk and resources.population and migration, macroeconomic trends, prices, energy, labour, education, quality of life and inequality. eXplorer is an interactive tool for the visual presentation of country statistical analyses.
OECD iLibrary
Contains statistics on OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) member countries. Also includes books and periodicals published by OECD since 1998. Search by keyword(s) or browse by country or theme.
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 reports on countries, select Economies in the toolbar and select Business Dynamics and/or Economy, Finance and Trade from the menu.
ProQuest One Business
Explore the Countries page to find country profiles, economic indicators, and business risk factors from a variety of sources including Chart Maker, Fitch Solutions, Mergent, Oxford Economics, and The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Statista
​Includes 150+ country reports that contain data on consumers and the economy. From the Reports menu, select Country & Region Reports, or search for keywords in the search bar on the top right. Also from the Insights menu, select Explore Market Insights. TheMarket Insightspage covers a broad range of topics, including Global Indicators which provides current and forecast data about a country's economy and society.
Tax Guides and Highlights(Deloitte)
Contains guides providing information on the investment conditions, tax regimes and regulatory requirements of countries worldwide.
UNdata: A World of Information (United Nations Statistics Division)
Contains statistics in the areas of international merchandise trade, national accounts, demography and population, social indicators, and industry.
World Almanac and Book of Facts
Contains quick facts and figures on countries around the world.
Location: MILLS and THODE Libraries AY 64.W92 [1929-2018] (Subscription Cancelled)
World Development Indicators(World Bank)
Provides a comprehensive selection of economic, social and development indicators, drawing on data from the World Bank and more than 30 partner agencies. The database covers more than 900 indicators for 210 economies with data back to 1960. Search by country, series/topic and year. Also review the DataBank website for additional databases and content.
Location of Print: MILLS Government Publications (2nd floor) UN9 MG-W53 (1998 to 2009)
World Factbook(U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)
A comprehensive resource of current facts and statistics on more than 260 countries and other entities. Select a country from the Explore All Countries list. Each country profile typically includes the following sections: Introduction (Background), Geography, People & Society, Environment, Government, Economy, Energy, Communications, Transportation, Military & Security, Terrorism and Transnational Issues.
Worldwide Tax Summaries Online (WWTS) (PwC)
Contains current information about the tax systems in over 150 countries. Each profile includes a country overview, corporate and individual tax summaries.