International Government Guide

General Resources

General Resources - United States Relations - United Nations - Labor - Development - Statistics - Human Rights
Law and Justice - Science and Technology - Regional Organizations - Security - Education Policy - Trade - Health

Internet Resources

• AngusReid Global Monitor
  Track global public opinion on current issues.
• Background Notes (US Department of State)
  Background notes provide basic information by country on the people, history, government, political conditions, economy, foreign relations, US relations, travel and business. Archive is available from 1990 to present.
• BBC Country Profiles
  Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics, and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives.
• Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (CIA)
  The directory is intended to be used primarily as a reference aid and includes as many governments of the world as is considered practical, some of them not officially recognized by the United States.
  
• Constitution Finder
  This database offers constitutions, charters, amendments, and other related documents for nations of the world. By The T.C. Williams School of Law, University of Richmond.
  
• Constitutions of the World (FindLaw) Alphabetical listing of countries and links to their consitutions.
  
• Council on Foreign Relations
  The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource to help better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
  
• Countries and Territories (New York Times) Recent and archival news about countries from The New York Times.
  
• Country Briefings (Economist magazine)
  Offers links to recent articles and a country profile which includes political and economic outlook, basic data, economic indicators over four years, brief history, political structure and political forces. May include special reports.
  
• Diplomatic List
  This publication covers foreign missions (embassies, interest sections) in the United States. It contains the names of members of the diplomatic staffs of these missions and their spouses. Coverage from 1993 to present.
  
• Europa - Gateway of the European Union
  Gateway to information on the European Union.
  
• FAO Country Profiles and Mapping Information
  Information on natural resources, economic situation, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and global issues for each country. News articles and relevant publications for country are linked.
• Foreign government websites (Northwestern University)
  The page provides links to the official websites of international governments.
  
• Foreign Information by Country (University of Colorado - Boulder)
  Alphabetical list of countries with links to their government web sites.
  
• Government Gazettes Online (University of Michigan)
  Government Gazettes, which are published by federal governments worldwide, are the means through which the government can communicate to officials and the general public. Gazettes are useful as primary sources in research.
  
• Global Gateway (Library of Congress)
  A portal site for the LC's international resources, it contains links to authoritative information by country (in the "Portals to the World" section), to special databases, including some with legal and historical documents ("Research Guides and Databases") and to websites of the various regional reading rooms ("Centers for International Research").
• National Parliaments on the Web
  Only those countries where a National Parliament exists are included in the alphabetical list.
  
• Official Government Web sites by Country (Missouri University of Science and Technology · Rolla)
  Links to official government pages from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
  
• Rulers
  This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and, in certain cases, de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases.
  
• World Freedom Atlas
  A geovisualization tool for world statistics, showing the level or human rights, democracy and good governance within countries. Coverage is from 1990-2006.
  

Databases

• Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO)
  Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO) is the most comprehensive source for theory and research in international affairs. Access provided by the MU School of Law Library.
  
• EIU Country Profiles
  Profiles for individual countries. (1996-2008)
  
• EIU Country Reports
  EIU Country Reports analyses political and economic trends in over 200 countries. Each report examines and explains the issues shaping the countries: the political scene, economic policy, the domestic economy and foreign trade and payments. (1996-date)
  
• Human Relations Area File - World Cultures
  A cross-cultural database that contains information on all aspects of cultural and social life. Organized into cultures and ethnic groups.
• PAIS
  Covers the full range of political, social, and public policy issues, including international trade and relations. (1972-date)
  
• Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  Provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in Political Science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy. (1975-date)
• Oxford Analytica Country Profiles
  The Country Profiles are brief overviews for 75 countries incorporating economic, political, and geographical data. Listings by subject or location.
  
• Oxford Analytica Daily Brief Service
  The daily briefs are objective, multidisciplinary articles compiled by an international network of over 1,000 economists, international relations, and political/social experts at Oxford and other leading universities, as well as think-tanks and other institutions of international standing. They cover worldwide developments of significance in more than 180 countries: events, significance, analysis, & conclusions and date back to 1986. Articles are indexed by topic, location and date.
  

Books

• The Statesman's year-book
  Statistical and historical annual of the states of the world. 1976-2009.
• Guide to official publications of foreign countries
• International information : documents, publications, and electronic information of international organizations

Reference E-books

• Governments of the World: A Global Guide to Citizens' Rights and Responsibilities, 4v, 2006
  This wide-ranging, multidisciplinary encyclopedia describes and analyzes how the governments profiled affect citizens in the daily exercise of their rights and responsibilities. Arranged alphabetically and richly illustrated, Governments of the World features biographies and historical surveys on different types of political systems, such as constitutional monarchies, presidential systems, democracies and dictatorships, and much more.
• Cities of the World, 6th ed., 4v, 2002
  A compilation of current information on cultural, geographic, and political conditions in 193 countries and their cities covering six continents, based on the Department of State's Post Reports. Maps and photos of many cities included.
• Countries and Their Cultures, 4v, 2001
  Presents the cultural similarities within a country that set it apart from others by examining over 200 countries to document the myriad ways in which culture defines and separates the nations of the world as much as geographical borders do. Surveys each country's shared values, behaviors and cultural variations from foods and rituals to pastimes and arts, using a standard entry format for easy comparison. Provides illustrations, photographs and maps. 4 volumes.
• Countires of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 2006
  Covering nearly 200 countries, this yearbook is filled with reports from the U.S. Department of State. Entries typically cover politicians, geography, defense, agriculture and trade. Includes information on passport applications, regulations and duties, international health and disease, national holidays and more.
• Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, 11th ed., 6v, 2004
  Presents easy-to-understand information on 200 countries and dependencies from around the world. Entries discuss a variety of topics in detail, from banking and securities to climate, from government data to demographic statistics. Also includes biographical essays on national leaders.

For further assistance, contact:

• Marie Concannon, Government Documents Coordinator
• Sandy Schiefer, Government Documents Librarian