Penn State University Libraries - International Trade

These sources will give you a general background about your country and its broad social and political environment to help you frame the reset of your research. Many will also give you general statistics and directory information about government officials. Print resources can give you the best and most concise picture of your country. Be sure to check the publishing dates to be sure you are getting the information you need.

Note: [Penn State Libraries] indicates a resource available to researchers with a Penn State Access Account.

Online Resources

• Political Risk Yearbook [Penn State Libraries]
  Lengthy analysis of a country's political and economic climate and risks, the Political Risk Yearbook is unique in that it provides forecasts on likely political and economic developments. Each Country Report focuses specifically on political and business information: finding developing markets, determining currency movements, preparing for capital investments, or making judgments about corporate security.

• Political Handbook of the World
  Annual survey of government, regional issues, and international organizations. Good source for background information about countries and organizations and for an overview of the year's political events. Includes some statistics.

• Political Parties of the World
  A country-by-country look at the major political parties. Lists web sites for parties if they are available.

• Countries and their Cultures
  A four-volume encyclopedia that focuses on cultures and countries around the world, specifically what is and is not shared culturally by the people who live in a particular country. Entries contain descriptive summaries of the country in question, including demographic, historical, cultural, economic, religious, and political information.
  Other useful encyclopedias include:

  • Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations

  • Countries of the World and their Leaders Yearbook

  • Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies

  • Cities of the World

All of the titles above are included in the Gale Virtual Reference Library [Penn State Libraries]

• Armed Conflict Database [Penn State Libraries]
  Provides an interactive source of information on a wide range of conflicts including terrorism, refugees, and returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), weapons flows, fatalities, costs ($ U.S.), historical backgrounds, annual updates and timelines. Users can generate reports and download data as well as browse through year-by-year analyses and fact sheets online.

• Country Studies/Area Handbook Series (Library of Congress)
  Book-length works covering the history, politics, geography, and economy of individual countries. Some are dated and therefore most useful for getting an historical perspective. To locate the these resources, search The CAT using Area Handbook Series as your search term. Some are available on the Web at the Library of Congress' Country Studies Web site.

• Background Notes
  Short (4 to 5 page) overviews of the government and politics of various countries. Prepared for U.S. Department of State personnel on diplomatic missions.

• Post Reports
  Designed for State Department personnel stationed at embassies and consulates, these can provide insight into a country, and are particularly helpful in that they describe some major cities as well as the country. Most recent versions are not available to the public, but previous versions are available via eDiplomat, a commercial web site.

• Embassies and Consulates
  Embassies and consulates often provide country descriptions and/or data (often in English) as well as links to government sites in their home countries. Some sources for lists of embassies:

  • State Department embassy list

  • Embassy.org

Print Encyclopedias and Handbooks

The Libraries have many specialized encyclopedias that may be of help. Consult The CAT to locate more of these.

• Europa World Year Book [Penn State Libraries]
  Contains brief background discussion of countries and international organizations, including history, government, politics, etc. Also provides brief statistical information.

• Encyclopedia of World Political Systems