01) Country Data & Indices - [Back to Top]

• AT Kearny - The 2005 Global Retail Development Index
  This is the site of the 2005 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), which is a survey designed to help retailers prioritize their global development strategies by ranking 30 emerging countries based on more than 25 macroeconomic and retail-specific variables
• BERI - Country Risk Ratings
  This is the site of Business Environment Risk Intelligence, which provides qualitative analyses and forecasts that include comprehensive assessments of operating conditions, political risk, and the foreign exchange/ external accounts position for 50 countries three times per year
• CATO Institute - Economic Freedom of the World
  At this site, the Cato Institute provides its annual reports on the economic freedom of the world for the years 2001 through 2005, measuring the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom.
• CIA - The World Factbook
  This is the site of the CIA World Fact Book, which provides updated reference maps and information about countries worldwide that covers geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
• CIFP -- Country Indicators for Foreign Policy
  This site provides ranked country indicators for foreign policy for the years 1996 through 2000, which include history of armed conflict, governance and political instability, militarization, population heterogeneity, demographic and environmental stress, economic performance, human development, and international connections.
• Control Risks - Political & Security Risk Analysis
  This site offers information that senior managers and business developers need to know how different legal and regulatory environments, political rivalries and potential instability will affect their business.
• FDI Xchange -Investment Information
  This site provides users with customized e-mail updates of country analyses and investment opportunities in emerging markets, covering legal, market, opportunity, business, and event categories.
• Fraser Institute - Index of Human Progress
  This site makes available the Fraser Institute's Index of Human Progress, which improves on the United Nations' Human Development Index by using unadjusted GDP per capita (1995 US dollars) and by including six additional indicators that measure desirable outcomes.
• Freedom House - Freedom in the World 1999 - 2000
  This page cannot be found.
• Global Financial Data
  This is a database of historical stock market, financial, and economic data, which is unavailable from any other online source and includes over 20,000 current and historical data series covering over 200 countries collected from original sources, with some extending back more than 200 years.
• GlobalEDGE - International business resource desk
  This database provides current information on the business climate, news, history, political structure, economic landscape, and relevant statistical data for 197 countries; a directory of international business resources categorized by specific orientation and content; comparisons and rankings of 24 emerging markets; and a glossary of definition and acronyms used in international business.
• Global Social Change Reports
  This site has World Social Change reports, which reviews major world economic, demographic, social, and political changes and data used to develop the reviews, and a review of theories of change.
• Heritage Foundation - Index of Economic Freedom 2005
  This is site provides the 2006 index of economic freedom ratings and rankings for 161 countries, along with detailed demographic data and background analysis based on ten broad factors of economic freedom.
• ILO - Worldwide Labor Statistics
  This database features a selection of labor statistics available from the International Labor Organization, which are global in scope.
• Interactive Data - Sovereigns, Corporates and Financial Institutions
  This is the site of the UK-based credit ratings database, which includes approximately 23,000 issuer ratings for sovereigns, corporations, and financial institutions worldwide, .and a database of credit ratings in emerging markets that examines the comparative default risk in over 80 emerging markets with more than 8,000 issuer ratings.
• ITC - International Trade Statistics
  This is a database of international trade statistics designed to facilitate an understanding of the structure and evolution of international markets.
• Marigold Foundation - Worldwide Healthcare Index
  Can't find the server at www.healthpolicyreform.org
• MilkenInstitute.Org - Cost of Capital Index
  The Capital Access Index (CAI) scores the ability of entrepreneurs to gain access to financial capital in countries around the world by measuring the breadth, depth and vitality of capital markets, as wells as openness in providing access without discrimination.
• PRI - World and U.S. Indices
  The site of the Pacific Research Institute provides links to indices ranking countries and US states on the basis of various political, economic, and social conditions, including economic freedom, health care, and development.
• PRS - Political Risk Country Reports
  Political Risk Services offers a free sample report on a country with information about the most likely areas of trouble, key economic forecasts, and key issues to watch.
• Reporters sans frontières - Third Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index
  Reporters Without Borders provides a worldwide index of press freedom with country rankings on this issue and evaluations available by region for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the former USSR, and the Middle East.
• Transparency International - Corruption Surveys and Indices
  This site offers quantitative diagnostic tools regarding levels of transparency and corruption, both at global and local levels and includes the Corruption Perception Index, the Bribe Payer's Index, and the Corruption Barometer.
• UN - Human Development Index
  This site offers the United Nations' Human Development Reports for 1900 to 2005, which cover issues such as inequalities between and within countries, promotion of cultural freedoms, and the impact of politics on human development worldwide.
• UNCTAD.ORG World Investment Report
  This site offers the World Investment Report which focuses on trends in foreign direct investment (FDI) worldwide at the regional and country levels and emerging measures to improve its contribution to development.
• United Nations Statistics Division
  This site compiles and disseminates global statistical information in the areas of economics, demographics, environment and energy, and includes detailed national accounts estimates for some 207 countries and areas of the world for the years 1970 to 2003/2004.
• US State Department - Background Notes
  The site provides background notes and country pages, which include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty.
• William Davidson Institute - Meta Links
  This is a database of global business and environment indexes alphabetized by producer.
• World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report
  This annual study monitors the competitive condition of economies worldwide and assesses 117 economies by combining. The report is unique in that the methodology combines publicly available data with survey data to capture the perceptions and observations of business leaders in a given country.

02) Emerging Markets Data - [Back to Top]

• Emerging Markets Companion
  This is a database the covers the closing levels from major emerging markets; political, economic, and financial events; financial markets; global research, commentary and analysis; background and historical information, and an indexed series of links to related financial Web sites.
• Emerging Markets Supersite
  This is a database of links to sites with emerging market data organized by subject areas, which include fundamental analysis, capital market developments, volatility and contagion measurements, currency and political risks, corporate finance, mutual funds, real estate, country-specific data, and major news, among others.
• EmergingPortfolio.com - Fund Research
  This site tracks 10,000 international, emerging markets and US funds with $5 trillion in assets, including offshore and US-registered funds.
• MIGA - Investment Promotion Network
  This is an extensive searchable database from the Multilateral Investment Guaranty Agency of over 12,000 Web-based documents that include research on economies and product markets, investment-related laws and treaties, and specific investment opportunities.
• William Davidson Institute
  This is an integrated and fully searchable database of information about transition and emerging markets that provides free access to socio-economic micro and macro data on transition economies.

03) Cost Data - [Back to Top]

• EC Harris
  This site provides a list of publications produced by the Cost Research Department addressing industry-wide concerns relating to design, legislation, market activity, and costs.
• Economist.com - Big Mac Index
  This is the site of an emerging market index that uses McDonald's Big Mac, which is produced in about 120 countries, to make exchange-rate theory more digestible by using, arguably, the world's most accurate financial indicator based on a fast-food item.
• Foreign Labor Statistics Home Page
  This site provides international comparisons of hourly compensation costs; productivity and unit labor costs; labor force, employment and unemployment rates; and consumer prices, all of which relate primarily to the major industrial countries.
• ICEC - Labor Rates around the World
  This is a database of labor rates from around the world reported in the currency of the particular country and organized by job position/title.
• ICEC - Sources of International Cost Data
  This paper provides descriptions of multicountry data sources for preliminary or conceptual cost studies, notes major database sources of unit price/cost data for specific countries, and presents some example data to illustrate the kind of resources available for international project studies.
• ICEC - Steel Costs around the World
  This is a database of the costs for specific steel items around the world given in the currency of the country and allowing a comparison of these costs among nations worldwide.
• RSMeans Construction Bookstore
  This site provides an online source for construction books on topics such as cost data, estimating, international costs, scheduling, and management in architecture, civil engineering, electrical and plumbing, environmental, facilities, general contractor, and residential contractor disciplines.
• World Mine Cost Data Exchange
  This site offers databases of production data spreadsheets for all mines on the site, simple mine and mill cost charts, spreadsheet models of the world's major metal mines, and cost curves that change with input assumptions.

04) Other Data Sources and Portals - [Back to Top]

• Construction Risk Management Library and Portal
  This is a database of risk management resources and information including articles, newsletters, and a well-organized arrangement of valuable websites covering architects and engineers (A/E's) professional liability, architects insurance, engineers insurance, construction law and litigation, contractor claims and disputes, loss control, design-build liability, continuing education, and project management.
• Conway Data, Inc.
  This site provides information for executives responsible for site selection and facility planning decisions around the world; tools for corporate strategic planners, sales & marketing executives, industry consultants, and service providers; and an electronic network for the economic development industry.
• Foreign Government Data Sources
  This is a database of statistical information concerning market indicators and business development topics available online from foreign government data sources.
• ICONDA - The International Construction Database
  This is an international construction database of architect, engineer, and construction (AEC) publications that covers worldwide technical literature relating to all aspects of planning and construction, containing references from over 20 countries and from over 400 periodicals, books, research reports, conference proceedings, business reports, theses, and non-conventional literature normally outside the public domain, all of which dates back to 1976.
• Infrasite.net
  This is a database of infrastructure, road, rail, water, construction, traffic, safety, projects, news, innovation, and mobility, focusing chiefly on European projects.
• Int. Studies Assoc - Internet Resources
  This is a list of links to online information of interest to members of the international studies community.
• International Affairs Resources
  This is a list of links to international affairs resources and research institutes available online.
• International Business Resource Connection
  This is a database of international business trade resources for small and midsize companies seeking to expand globally, focusing on business and country resources, world trade references, trade leads, and e-commerce.
• International Law Institute - Links
  This is a database of links to development and trade, development banks and related Web sites, International development agencies, public and private international law, and general international resources, among others
• McGraw-Hill Construction
  This site offers a comprehensive source of building product information, including top news, competitions, cost indexes, forecasts and trends, and construction analytics publications.
• Milbank Project Finance Research Portal
  This is a database of resources related to project finance and includes periodicals; research, ECA and multilateral lenders; international resources for Asia, Europe, and Latin America; and ratings.
• Private Sector Development Infrastructure Blog
  A database of informal blog articles that gather news, resources and ideas about the role of private enterprise in fighting poverty written by members of the World Bank Group.
• Project Finance Portal
  This site offers a reference guide for practitioners, researchers, and students seeking information about project finance, providing bibliographical references for books, articles, and case studies, plus more than 900 links to related sites containing data and information about particular projects and companies/organizations involved with project finance
• Ronald Coase Institute Links and Resources
  This is a list of links of interest to researchers of institutions - laws, rules, customs, and norms - that govern real economic systems.
• The Development Library
  This is a database of 33 book titles covering topics such as corporate real estate and facility planning, location factors and analysis, area economic development, global factors in development, and an overall view of development and the future.

05) Blogs - [Back to Top]

• Defeating Global Poverty
  This is a blog on global economic issues, ideas and data designed to help contributors defeat the extreme global poverty.
• Innovations In Emerging Markets
  This is a blog that discusses capital flows, corporate governance, entrepreneurs and firms, financial markets, financing, going global, green investments, social entrepreneurs, south-south investing, sustainable investments, technical assistance, trends, and water providers.
• Poverty and Growth Blog
  This is a blog maintained by the Poverty and Growth Program (PGP) of the World Bank Institute that offers news, resources, tools, ideas and commentary on poverty related issues.
• PSD Blog - The World Bank Group
  A database of informal blog articles that gather news, resources and ideas about the role of private enterprise in fighting poverty written by members of the World Bank Group.