INTL 3151/POLS 3151: International Political Economy

Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.

Country and sector assessments based on macroeconomic, financial, and political data.

A range of time series data on IMF lending, exchange rates, and other economic and financial indicators.

A compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, World Resources Institute, UNESCO, UNICEF and OECD.

International non-governmental organization (NGO) taking action to fight global corruption.

Access international statistical databases through a single-entry point. The database contains statistical resources compiled by the United Nations (UN) statistical system and other international agencies.

Contains collections of time series data on a variety of topics.

An independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The Market Potential Index (MPI), an indexing study conducted annually by MSU-CIBER, helps companies rank emerging markets on eight dimensions. The dimensions are then combined to create an overall market potential index. The latest rankings are provided on the site as well as access to past analysis.

A.M. Best Country Risk Ratings provides a list classifying various countries into the level of risk inherent in the country's governmental, economic, and social stability factors. The methodology uses country risk analysis to determine how the factors outside an insurer's control affect its ability to meet its obligations to its policyholders. The site allows you to access various country data regarding financial, economic, and political risk. The site also contains additional reports and data available for purchase.

The Foreign Direct Investment Confidence (FDI) Index prepared by A.T. Kearney is an annual survey which tracks the impact of likely political, economic, and regulatory changes on the foreign direct investment intentions and preferences of CEOs, CFOs, and other top executives of Global 1000 companies. The report includes detailed commentary on the markets and the impact a variety of global trade issues have on their FDI attractiveness, as well as a ranking of the top 25 countries.

The Doing Business Economy Rankings measures the ease of conducting business in a country based on ten factors that reflect how conducive the regulatory environment is to a business operation. The 189 economies can be ranked based on any specific factor, and the raw data is also available for download in Excel format.

Forbes provides an annual ranking of the best countries for business; examining over 139 countries on multiple factors - including gross domestic product (GDP) growth, GDP per capita, and trade balance as a percentage of GDP. To develop the rankings, Forbes looked at 11 aspects for each country including property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, trade freedom, red tape regulations, investor protection, and stock market performance.

The Global Opportunity Index (GOI) by the Milken Institute ranks countries based on five categories: economic fundamentals, financial services, business perception, institutional framework, and international standard policy. The index looks at the economic and financial factors that influence investment activities, and is unique in that it looks at factors relevant to both FDI and portfolio flows.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD) Country Risk Classification measures the country credit risk and the likelihood that a country will service its external debt. The index uses a scale of eight risk categories to determine a country's credit risk. The rankings are available in PDF format.

The Financial Secrecy Index, by Tax Justice Network, ranks countries based on their financial secrecy laws and the amount of offshore financial activities. The index was first released in 2015.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Countries to Invest In Ranking compares countries on eight equally weighted attributes pertaining to investment. The ranking is published in partnership with BAV Consulting and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.