This guide will lead you to appropriate resources for the country analysis project.
Each of the sources listed in this box will give you a sizeable overview of a country's economic environment. Start with these to get a general view of the country's situation; additionally, these overviews may help answer many of the assignment's questions directly.
Reports on the history, economy, politics, and risk forecasts of 100 countries.
Thousands of local, national, and international newspapers, along with broadcast transcripts and college and university news sources. Includes the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune.
US Newsstream enables users to search current U.S. news content, as well as archives that stretch back into the 1980s. It features top newspapers, wires, broadcast transcripts, along with national and regional news sources including The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune.
University-wide subscription to the digital edition of the esteemed British newsweekly. Includes current and prior coverage back to 1997; see the separate Economist Historical Archive for coverage back to 1843.
Contains current information on companies, industries, and financial markets. It also contains up-to-the-minute news articles from publications around the world and many smaller market news sources, trade magazines, and journals.
Search Tips:
GDP by component
For GDP measures, your best bet is probably Data-Planet Statistical Datasets. Search by keyword, or better yet, go to "Browse by Subject">International; for European countries, then pick A) Eurostat>Economy & Finance>National Accounts> Pick your country from the list. In the Table name box, pick GDP & Main Components (Current Prices).>In the Variable Name box, scroll to Not seasonally adjusted data-Final consumption expenditures of households: Percentage of GDP. Download that file. Then scroll down the list, finding Final consumption expenditures of general government: Percentage of GDP, then Gross fixed capital formation: Percentage of GDP, then Exports: Percentage of GDP and Imports: Percentage of GDP, downloading each file in turn. These are the technical terms for the 3 main components of GDP that you may have learned: Consumption + Investment (gross fixed capital formation) + Government + (Exports-Imports) = GDP.
For Defense, on the main search screen in Data Planet, just search for Defense GDP, and you should find a data series from the World Bank's World Development Indicators database that will let you pick your country and download the data.
Alternate sources of GDP: B) International Monetary Fund>World Economic Outlook>GDP Metrics, or C) Penn World Tables.
