Princeton
University Library
Pliny
Fisk Library of Economics & Finance
Economic and Political Risk
I. Background Sources:
EIU Country Profiles and Reports
EIU Country Risk Model (1997+)
Interactive tool for analyzing country credit risk. Measures sovereign debt, currency and banking sector risks.
EIU Country Risk Service (1996+)
Continuously updated political, economic, and financial risk analysis for 120 countries. Useful for measuring sovereign risk.
EIU Risk Briefing
Provides comprehensive timely analysis, forecasts, alerts and background data covering a wide range of risk factors in 150 major markets. Update daily. Useful for measuring operational risk.
EIU Markets Indicators and Forecasts
Data begins in 1990 and forecasts out five years. In addition to social and economic indicators, includes summary measures of economic, market, and political risk. Under "Series" divided into 3 areas: politics, institutions and regulations, country credit risk, and business operations risk.
Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI)
Source for comprehensive ratings, analyses, and forecasts for over 140 countries. Includes Quality of Workforce Index.
International Strategic Reports and Forecasts (ISA)
Current source for international market analysis, country and regional intelligence, risk, and economic forecasting. Includes Sub-Saharan Africa.
Political Risk Yearbook/International Country Risk Guide
JA1.P644 (current volumes in SSRC) (8 volume set)
As of 2007, 100 countries are monitored. Represents an "attempt to bridge the gap between the academic world and the real world of politics, government, and economics". The data portion of International Country Risk Guide can be found in countrydata.com. Data is back to 1984. Country forecasts provide:
a map, highlights of the year, current data, the most likely, 2nd most likely, and 3rd most likely
five-year regime scenarios, players to watch, and political players. Country conditions provide: investment climate (overview, policies, legal framework, infrastructure, political
violence, corruption, international agreements, and labor contracts), climate for trade (trade barriers, international agreements), and background geography, history, social conditions, government, political conditions,
foreign relations). For methodology, see http://www.prsgroup.com/PRS_Methodology.aspx. Princeton's print holdings begin in 2002 but there is back coverage (select) through Lexis
Nexis Academic (Type in Political Risk at the search box from the "Sources" list and choose "PRS Group Political Risk Service".
Click on "Search this title". This will take you to the "World News" Library and the "European News
Sources" file. For other regions, just
change the file from the drop down menu.) Dates back to April 1, 1987. Dates of coverage vary by country.
Banks' Cross-National Timeseries
Select data back to 1815; covers economic, social, and political indicators; superb source for political economy. For more information see http://firestone.princeton.edu/econlib/Banks.htm The latest data has not yet been processed into an interface but is available in spreadsheets and by using the codebook.
DataGob Governance Indicators Database
DataGob provides a user-friendly interface for accessing most of the publicly available indicators related to governance. It contains approximately 400 governance indicators produced by 25 different sources for a global sample of countries whose coverage depends on the source. These indicators are produced by multilateral organizations, NGOs, private firms, and academic institutions. They can contribute to the assessment of governance performance, the identification of priority areas for reform and donor investment, and the analysis of the impact of country reform efforts.
HB95 .I48 (current volume in SXF); 1995+
Includes country-by-country analyses on 161 countries and data on trade policy, fiscal burden, governmental intervention, monetary policy, foreign investment, banking and finance, wages and prices, property rights, regulation, and black market. Published by the Heritage Foundation (a conservative non-partisan think tank) in cooperation with Dow Jones. Data is available free of charge online. Detailed methodology is provided in the print volume along with topical essays. Scores range from 1 to 5 with 1 being best. The Heritage Foundation defines economic freedom as "the absence of government coercion or constraint on the production, distribution, or consumption of goods and services beyond the extent necessary for citizens to protect and maintain liberty itself".
"Freedom House is a clear voice for democracy and freedom around the world. Founded nearly sixty years ago by Eleanor Roosevelt, Wendell Willkie, and other Americans concerned with the mounting threats to peace and democracy, Freedom House has been a vigorous proponent of democratic values and a steadfast opponent of dictatorships of the far left and the far right." Since 1972, Freedom House has published an annual assessment of the state of freedom by assigning each country and territory the status of "Free," "Partly Free," or "Not Free" by averaging their political rights and civil liberties ratings. The print version is Freedom in the World. JC571.xG3 (current volume in SSRC Ready Reference)
Transparency International is "the only international non-governmental organisation devoted to combating corruption, brings civil society, business, and governments together in a powerful global coalition." In addition to news and special reports, ongoing surveys on various types of corruption including a global corruption barometer, a bribe payers survey, and a corruption perceptions index. Publishes Global Corruption Report which presents chapters on various forms of corruption as well as country reports for approximately 40 countries. (SSRC) JF1081.G56
Governance Indicators
World Bank study providing aggregate governance research indicators for
almost 209 countries for 1996-2006, for six dimensions of governance:
voice and accountability; political stability and absence of violence;
government effectiveness; regulatory quality; rule of law; control of
corruption.
Bertelsmann transformation index : towards democracy and a market economy
(SXF) HN979 .B473
Global ranking that analyzes and evaluates development and transformation processes in 116 countries. Provides the international public and political actors with a comprehensive view of the status of democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of political management in each of these countries. Includes CD-ROM.