Seton Hall University Libraries: Country Research: Reference and Data Resources

Seton Hall University

Country Statistics (DIPL 6153AA)

Statistical resources for poverty, development, economy, politics, political institutions and aid.

World Development Indicators - DataBank
The primary World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially-recognized international sources. It presents the most current and accurate global development data available, and includes national, regional and global estimates
OECD Statistics Portal
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is a unique forum where the governments of 36 member states with market economies work with each other, as well as with more than 70 non-member economies to promote economic growth, prosperity, and sustainable development. Search by country or topic.
Freedom House Index
Freedom House is founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people. Explore Global Freedom Index, International Freedom Index and Democracy Scores. https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores
https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&year=2020
IMF - Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
IMF DOTS presents the value of merchandise exports and imports disaggregated according to a country's primary trading partners. Area and world aggregates are included in the display of trade flows between major areas of the world
IMF - World Economic Outlook Databases
The World Economic Outlook (WEO) database is created during the biannual WEO exercise, which begins in January and June of each year and results in the April and September/October WEO publication. Selected series from the publication are available in a database format. Reports are available at: https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO

Featured Resources

China Data Online
Primary data source for China studies. It includes (1) China Statistical Databases; (2) China Census Databases; and (3) China Spatial Data Service (China Geo-Explorer). If you encounter accessibility issues with this resource, a librarian can assist you; contact Dr. Xue-Ming Bao, baoxuemi@shu.edu.

General Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics
CIA World Factbook
Country Profiles (BBC News)
Country Profiles and Reports (Economist Intelligence Unit)
Country Studies (Library of Congress)
Fact Sheets (U.S. State Department)
International Statistics (allthatstats)
Latin American Studies Research Guide (SHU)
Political Handbook of the World
Project Oasis Europe
a description of each country’s media landscape including information about press freedom, market structure and funding
U.S. Department of State - Office of Historian
UNECE Countries in Figures 2019

Data Sources - Best Bets

You can start your country research with the World Development Indicators (WDI), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or the World Bank's Database of Political Institutions. The links below will take you to these resources.

Interlibrary Loan

If you need a resource that University Libraries does not subscribe to, we can help. Articles are ordered through our ILLIAD system and are often available free of charge within 24 hours. A pdf will be deposited in your library account.

Books are ordered through EZBorrow .

More about Interlibrary Loan

Search Tips

Yes, you can Google, but try these strategies to improve your search skills:

Use Advanced Search with AND, OR, NOT (Boolean searching)
“ “ (quotation marks) will narrow search to ONLY words contained within quotation marks
For primary sources, intermingle search terms with letters, memoirs, oral history, diaries, finding aid
Use a variety of search terms appropriate for the time period you are researching
Different databases use varied terminology
Use sidebar limiters in databases to broaden or narrow search
Use bibliographies for citation chasing

Country Research

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