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International Business Research Guide

Country Information

COUNTRY PROFILES

Gale Business: Insights (database) - Country comparison charts, data on global companies, and industry reports.

Business Source Ultimate (database) - In-depth country reports covering economic, investment, political, social, and environmental overviews with country risk analysis.

CIA World Factbook - Information on economy, geography, people, society, government, military, and transnational issues for over 250 world entities.

Economist: Country Reports - Country profiles covering political, economic, risk, regulatory, business, and industry analysis. Some content is free.

globalEDGE: Country Insights - Created by Michigan State University, globalEDGE provides collections of international business and trade information, research tools and data, internship directory, and other helpful resources for further information.

Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP): Global Peace Index - The IEP's Global Peace Index is a measure of global peacefulness, ranking independent states and territories based on their levels of peace. This report offers a comprehensive data-driven analysis on peace trends, its economic implications, and strategies for fostering peaceful societies.

LANIC: Latin American Network Information Center

Mergent Online (database) - Detailed country profiles with a focus on business and trade information. Updated annually.

ProQuest: U.S. Newsstream and Global Newsstream (both databases) -  Latest articles from major newspapers and other news sources.

U.S. Census Bureau: International Database (IDB) - Population estimates and projections.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): Mission Directory

U.S. Department of State: Countries and Areas & Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets - Background information on countries and links to other sources of country information

University of Michigan Library: International Studies Research Guides

World Bank: Countries & Economies

BUSINESS CUSTOMS, CULTURE & ETIQUETTE

Passport to the World: Your Pocket Guide to Business, Customs & Etiquette - This book/ebook series introduces to the business manners and customs across various countries and regions around the world. Each volume focuses on a specific country, providing valuable insights into the cultural norms and etiquette that can help facilitate successful interactions in diverse business environments.

Commisceo Global: Country and Culture Guides - Country guides to culture, people, beliefs, etiquette, and business practices.

Culture Crossing Guide - Community-built country guides to culture, etiquette, and understanding.

International Business Etiquette, Manners & Culture - Information and resources on international business etiquette and manners.

Passport to Trade - Business culture and etiquette in EU countries.

World Culture Encyclopedia - Country background and general cultural information.

Government of Canada: Spotlights on Intercultural Business - A general (not country-specific) guide to dealing successfully with different cultures in business.

Business Source Ultimate (database) - In-depth reports on country economic and investment outlooks, such as IHS Global's County Monitor and Country Intelligence and MarketLine's Country Profile.
To find these, search for your country name as a GE Geographic Term, and then on the left under Limit to: Source Type, select Country Reports.  Other Source Types to select are Market Research Reports, Industry Reports, and SWOT Analyses.

U.S. International Trade Administration

  • Country Commercial Guides - Information on market conditions, purchasing power, consumer trends, distribution channels, entry constraints, and key contacts for more than 100 countries, prepared by market experts of U.S. embassies worldwide.
  • Research Center

Deloitte International Tax Guides & Highlights - Highlights give brief overview of taxation. Some countries also have longer Guides with sections on setting up a business, investment climate,, labor,  and more discussion of taxation than the Highlights.

Worldwide Tax Summaries Online - Corporate and individual taxes in 151 territories worldwide.

UHY Doing Business Guides - These reports cover business environment, foreign investment, setting up a business, labor, taxation, and accounting & reporting.

Political Risk Yearbook: Country Reports - Forecasts the risk of doing business in 100 countries. (Links to a list of country reports in the Business Source Premier/Ultimate databases)

Country Risk Information AM Best Rating Services - "the risk that country-specific factors could adversely affect an insurer's ability to meet its financial obligations."

U.S. Department of State: Investment Climate Statements - Country-specific information and assessments prepared by U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions abroad on investment laws and practices in those countries. (These are also included as Chapter 6 in the Country Commercial Guides.)

Index of Economic Freedom Heritage Foundation - "We measure economic freedom based on 12 quantitative and qualitative factors, grouped into four broad categories, or pillars, of economic freedom: Rule of Law (property rights, government integrity, judicial effectiveness); Government Size (government spending, tax burden, fiscal health); Regulatory Efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom);Open Markets (trade freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom)."

World Bank Group

  • Doing Business - DISCONTINUED but archived website still available, latest reports are from 2020. Measures of the complexity of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies. Efficiency and strength of laws, regulations and institutions relevant to domestic small and medium-size companies throughout their life cycle. Ranks the ease of doing business across countries.
  • Enterprise Surveys: What Businesses Experience - "...a firm-level survey of a representative sample of the private sector in an economy. The surveys cover a broad range of business environment topics including access to finance, corruption, infrastructure, crime, competition, and performance measures. Firm-level datasets, the investment climate indicators derived from them, as well as research papers are available on the website."
  • Business Ready (B-READY) - Reports on the business environment and investment climate in economies worldwide.