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Country Analysis Resources

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Country Analysis Resources

The sources listed below include print and electronic resources  available through Maag Library which contain country profiles and/or information about specific countries and their cultures. A section of pertinent web resources has also been included.

Reference Room Resources

Reference materials are available for in-library use only and are shelved alphabetically by call number in the Reference Room. Ready Reference materials are held at the Reference Desk. Reference materials are for in-library use only.

  • Countries and Their Cultures REF GN307 .C68 2001 (4 volumes)
    The focus is on the cultures of the countries around the world, what is and what is not commonly shared culturally by the people who live in a country. The authors describe what is culturally universal in the country they are writing about and what varies by ethnic group, region, and class. One unique feature is the duscussion of “do’s” and “dont’s” for a culture. Another unique feature is the discussion of ethnic relations in a country, including material on whether one particular ethnic group became dominant or whether a national culture developed out of a community of disparate cultures.
    >>More Information About This Book
  • Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook REF G1 .C88 2005 (2 volumes)
    A compilation of U.S. Department of State Reports on contemporary political and economic conditions, government personnel and policies, political parties, religions, history, education, press, radio and tv, climate, and other characteristics of selected countries of the world; together with travel alerts, passport and visa information, world health information for travelers, and customs and duty tips for returning residents
  • Encyclopedia of World Cultures REF GN307 .E53 1991 (10 Volumes)
    The heart of this encyclopedia is the descriptive summaries of the cultures, which range from a few lines to 5 or 6 pages in length. They provide a mix of demographic, historical, social, economic, political, and religious information on the cultures. Their emphasis or flavor is cultural; that is, they focus on the ways of life of the people – both past and present – and the factors that have caused the culture to change over time and place.
  • Ethnic Groups Worldwide: A Ready Reference Handbook REF GN325 .L46 1998
    The handbook is divided into four parts – Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas – with each part containing an individual nation-by-nation description for that region. An introduction, a bibliography of sources, and maps are provided at the beginning of each regional part. The nation profiles provide three categories of information. First, they list the major ethnic groups or clusters of related ethnic groups in all nations of the world in the late 1990s. Second, the volume contains brief descriptions of the major ethnic groups or clusters of related groups in each nation. Third, for each nation, a succinct analysis is given of the current state of ethnic relations.
    >>More Information About This Book
    >>Limited Preview at Google Books
  • The Europa World Year Book REF JN1 .E85 2006 (2 volumes)
    Covers more than 250 countries and territories. Provides detailed country surveys containing the latest analytical, statistical and directory data.
  • International Financial Statistics Yearbook (International Monetary Fund) REF HG61 .I57 2009
    Acknowledged as a standard source of statistics on all aspects of international and domestic finance, IFS publishes, for most countries of the world, current data on exchange rates, international liquidity, international banking, money and banking, interest rates, prices, production, international transactions (including balance of payments and international investment position), government finance, and national accounts. Information is presented in tables for specific countries and in tables for area and world aggregates.
  • International Trade Statistics Yearbook 2010 (Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations)
    REF HF91 .U473 2010     (Volume 1) 1992 TO PRESENT AVAILABLE ONLINE
    Detailed data for a total of 175 countries (or areas) are shown in Volume I with the 2010 data on imports and exports by commodity and trading partner provided for 93 countries (areas), representing approximately 74% of the world trade of 2010.
  • The International Year Book and Statesmen’s Who’s Who READY REF JA51 .I57 2012
    International Organisations: Profiles the structure & functions of the world’s major international & national organisations from United Nation’s agencies to economic & trade organisations; States of the World: Current & comprehensive view of the political, economic & social landscape of the world’s countries, arranged alphabetically; Biographies: Over 3,000 major international figures are profiled, from heads of state and politicians to diplomats, heads of inter-governmental organisations and heads of central banks.
  • Nations of the World 2012: A Political, Economic & Business Handbook REF  HF1010 .N37 2012
    This comprehensive handbook profiles 231 nations and self-governing terr-itories around the world. More than 2,000 pages present political, economic and business information not found in any other reference work of its kind. The political, economic and business climates of the world have dramatically changed since the last edition. This 2012 edition of Nations of the World uniquely captures these changes – from current facts and figures to keen insight into economic, social and business climates. Each independently written overview captures the climate of the country or territory, regardless of how deeply it has been affected by the recent sweeping political and economic global changes.
    >>    More Information About This Book
  • The Princeton Encyclopedia of the World Economy REF HF1373 .P75 2009 (2 volumes)
    Written by an international team of contributors, this comprehensive reference includes more than 300 up-to-date entries covering a wide range of topics in international trade, finance, production, and economic development. These topics include concepts and principles, models and theory, institutions and agreements, policies and instruments, analysis and tools, and sectors and special issues. Each entry includes cross-references and a list of sources for further reading and research. Complete with an index and a table of contents that groups entries by topic, The Princeton Encyclopedia of the World Economy is an essential resource for anyone who needs to better understand the global economy.
    >>More Information About This Book
    >>Limited Preview at Google Books


Electronic Books

YSU students, faculty & staff have access to thousands of electronic books through the databases listed below:


Electronic Book Center (OhioLINK) contains the full texts of thousands of scholarly and reference e-books from several publishers, covering many subject areas.



EBSCO eBook Collection (formerly NetLibrary) is a library of electronic books (e-books) on many academic subjects. The collection includes thousands of titles purchased by OhioLINK, plus thousands of public-domain e-books. Users can preview an e-book online, peruse a page, read each page in depth, jump to specific chapters or pages, or use links in the Table of Content or Index to go directly to specific chapters of interest. Every word in every book is searchable. NetLibrary operates on the library check-out model, where readers check out e-books for a specified amount of time.


Safari Books Online provides electronic books in computer science, information technology, business, and related fields from O’Reilly, Pearson, and other IT and business publishers.

Following is a list of direct links to some relevant ebooks:

Research Databases: Country Profiles & Articles

Visit Maag Library’s Business Research Databases Guide for a complete list of databases available for locating business information.
Business Research Databases Handout

Use the databases listed below to search for articles and business information. While these databases provide a good starting point for your research, other databases are also available. To view the complete list of databases, go to the Maag Library Home Page and click on Research Databases on the left side of the screen under Quick Links.

Many articles may be found full-text within the databases, while others may be found in print in the bound journals on the sixth floor of the library. If you are having trouble locating the full text of an article, check Maag Journal Finder to view all print & electronic holdings for the journal. If MJF does not lead you to full text access of the article (print or electronic) use the Online Article Request Form to order the article electronically. InterLibrary Loan can locate most articles and will email you with a PDF attachment. This process takes approximately one week.

Click on the database titles below if you are on campus. If you are off campus, use the Off Campus Access links.
Authentication to an OhioLINK database requires you to:

  • Select your institution (Youngstown State University) then click on Submit.
  • Enter your last name followed by first name.
  • Enter your YSU ID# (number beginning with “Y” found on your YSU ID or in your portal account).
  • Enter your PASSWORD. **Until you set up a unique one in Your Library Record your YSU ID# is your password**
  • Click on Submit
  • Databases purchased individually by Maag Library require YSU username & password (same as YSU email).

CLICK HERE for more information about off campus access.

  • BUSINESS SOURCE COMPLETE: Country Reports / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    ABOUT BSC     / BASIC SEARCH HELP SHEET / BSC USER GUIDE
    Scholarly business database, providing bibliographic and full text content. BSC provides full text journals in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM (Production & Operations Management), accounting, finance and economics. Additional full text, nonjournal content includes financial data, books, monographs, major reference works, book digests, conference proceedings, case studies, investment research reports, industry profiles, market research reports, product reviews, country reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses and more.

    • Search for a country name to find articles from business journals & publications.
    • Narrow down results by “Source Types” on left side of screen → click on Country Reports
      (Note “Show More” under “Source Types”).
    • Other “Source Types” include Academic Journals, Trade Publications, Magazines, Newspapers, Books, SWOT Analyses, Industry Profiles, Market Research Reports, Product Reviews, etc.
    • Sort by: Date (descending or ascending), Relevance, Author, or Source.
    • Click on article or report title to view abstract.
    • Use Cite link in article record to find the appropriate citation format for the article (MLA, APA, etc.)
    • Click on PDF or HTML Full Text link to access full text of article or report.
    • If no PDF or HTML link, click on Find It! to see if article is available full text in another database.
    • If full text is not available and Maag Journal Finder shows that we do not have access to the publication, fill out an Online Article Request Form to request the article through InterLibrary Loan.
    • Publications tab: Political Risk Yearbook, Country Report (Economist Intelligence Unit), OECD Economic Surveys available full text for select countries.
  • ECONLIT / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    ABOUT ECONLIT
    EconLit, the American Economic Association’s electronic database, is the world’s foremost source of references to economic literature. The database contains more than 785,000 records from 1969-present. EconLit covers virtually every area related to economics.

    • Narrow down results by “Source Types” on left side of screen.
    • Sort by: Date (descending or ascending), Relevance, Author, or Source.
    • Click on article title to view article abstract.
    • Use Cite link in article record to find the appropriate citation format for the article (MLA, APA, etc.)
    • Click on PDF or HTML Full Text link to access full text of article or report.
    • If no PDF or HTML link, click on Find It! to see if article is available full text in another database.
    • If full text is not available and Maag Journal Finder shows that we do not have access to the publication, fill out an Online Article Request Form to request the article through InterLibrary Loan.
  • LEXISNEXIS ACADEMIC / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    LEXISNEXIS ACADEMIC WIKI     / YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIALS
    Provides access to a wide range of news, business, legal, medical, and reference information from nearly 7,000 sources, most of them available in full text. The service covers newspapers, magazines, wire services, federal and state court opinions, federal and state statutes, federal regulations, and SEC filings. News information is updated daily and wire services several times daily

    • Using the “Research Countries” box (lower left), select a country from the Country dropdown menu → Select a source to search from the Source dropdown menu: Business Monitor International, Country Briefings, PRS Risk Guide & Service, Walden Country Reports, Recent News Stories) → Click on Go → Retrieve Results (if over 3000 results) → Choose Relevance or Newest to Oldest → Use menu on left to view results by Category, Publication Name, Subject, Industry, etc. → Click on article or report title to access full text.
    • At opening screen, click on Sources (blue tab on left) → Browse Sources → Country & Region Reports file → Select sources to search → OK-Continue → Enter country name and/or other search terms → Search → Choose Relevance or Newest to Oldest → Use menu on left to view results by Category, Publication Name, Subject, Industry, etc. → Click on article or report title to access full text.
    • Relevant Sources include: Business Monitor News, The PRS Group International Country Risk Guide, The PRS Group Political Risk Service
  • MERGENT ONLINE / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    MERGENT ONLINE QUICK TIPS     / MERGENT ONLINE BASIC SEARCH
    Provides business information, including financial reports, company news and securities data. Mergent Online contains company data and annual reports for both U.S. and international companies. U.S. company data includes SEC (EDGAR) filings.
    >>    Mergent Country Profiles: In lower right hand corner of screen, select a country from the dropdown list. Click OK to open with Adobe Reader.
  • REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    ABOUT REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
    Collection of full text newswires that incorporates news information from all over the world. Information provided by these sources covers business, political, economic and other diverse, international news events. In order to maintain the most current collection of news, this database contains the most recent 30 days of information from each of these wire sources.
  • WORLD BOOK ADVANCED / OFF CAMPUS ACCESS
    More than 1.3 million pages of primary source documents, books, documents, selections fully integrated with the encyclopedia content. Research and teaching tools include timelines, citation builder, and saved research.
    >>Search for country name and choose appropriate result (should be the first one).

Web Resources

  • Bureau of Economic Analysis: International Economic Accounts
    Balance of Payments (International Transactions); Trade in Goods and Services; International Services; International Investment Position; Operations of Multinational Companies (U.S. direct investment abroad, Foreign direct investment in the U.S.); Projects linking BEA data with data from other statistical agencies; Supplemental Estimates; Survey Forms and Related Materials; Previously Published Estimates.
  • CountryReports
    Cultural, historical and statistical country information.
  • Culture Crossing
    Community built guide to cross-cultural etiquette and understanding. This user-built guide allows people from all walks of life to share essential tips with each other about how to navigate our increasingly borderless world with savvy and sensitivity.
  • Kwintessential: Doing Business in…Etiquette and Protocol Guides
    Provide tips on international business values, etiquette, customs and protocol for business people traveling abroad. Each guide offers some advice on the etiquette associated with areas such as meeting and greeting, making appointments, gift giving, dining, business dress, building relationships, meetings and negotiations.
  • Library of Congress: Country Studies Program: Country Profiles
    This series of profiles of foreign nations is part of the Country Studies Program, formerly the Army Area Handbook Program. The profiles offer brief, summarized information on a country’s historical background, geography, society, economy, transportation and telecommunications, government and politics, and national security. The profiles offer reasonably current country information independent of the existence of a recently published Country Study and will be updated annually or more frequently as events warrant.
  • NationMaster.com: Nations of the World
    Individual figures placed alongside other countries and shown relative to population. Allows users to generate graphs based on numerical data extracted from the CIA World Factbook and other sources, a central location that allows you to compare countries on any statistic you like. The purpose of the site is to promote education and understanding about the world. To make it easy to engage with the indicators that shape global commerce, health, politics and ecology. To make the facts easily accessible and meaningful. To bring the works of academics, public agencies and private researchers to a wider audience.
  • United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs: World Statistics Pocketbook
    Over 50 indicators have been collected from more than 20 international statistical sources and are presented in one-page profiles for 216 countries or areas of the world. Covers various years from 2000 to 2010. For the economic indicators, in general, three years – 2000, 2005 and 2008 – are shown; for the indicators in the social and environmental categories, data for one year are presented. The topics covered include: agriculture, balance of payments, education, energy, environment, food, gender, health, industrial production, information and communication, international finance, international tourism, international trade, labour, migration, national accounts, population and prices.
  • United Nations Statistics Division: National Accounts Main Aggregates Database
    Contains a complete and consistent set of time series from 1970 onwards of main national accounts aggregates for all UN Members States and all other countries and areas in the world. It is maintained and updated on the basis of annual collections of the official annual national accounts statistics supplemented by estimates of national accounts statistics for those years and countries for which the official statistics has incomplete or inconsistent information. In addition, to the values of national accounts statistics, it contains analytical indicators and ratios derived from the main national accounts aggregates related to economic structure and development.
  • United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook
    Disseminates statistics on population size and composition, births, deaths, marriage and divorce on an annual basis. Special topics issues cover a wide range of additional topics including economic activity, educational attainment, household characteristics, housing, ethnicity and language, among others.
  • The World Bank
    A vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. They are made up of two unique development institutions owned by 185 member countries—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution plays a different but supportive role in the mission of global poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards. The IBRD focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries, while IDA focuses on the poorest countries in the world. Together they provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, communications and many other purposes.

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