Researching International Politics


Reference Works
with Background Information
Indexes for Print Material
Information on
Individual Countries
Information on
International Organizations
U.S. Foreign Policy Indexes for Web Sites

Reference Works: Background Information

Europa world year book
London: Europa Publications Limited, (1926-)
Includes entries on every country and several dozen major international organizations
Country information includes brief descriptions of:
Location, climate, language, religion, history, economy, education
Consitutional and government (executive, legislative, judiciary)
Political organizations, Diplomatic relations, Religion
Press, publishing houses, and broadcasting concerns
Financial institutions, trade and industry associations
International organization information includes brief descriptions of:
Contact information (address, phone, URL)
Membership, Organization, History
Call number: REF. JN 1 .E854

Political handbook of the world
Binghamton, New York: CSA, (1927-)
Descriptions of every country as well as 100 major international organizations
Country information includes brief descriptions of:
Political/constitutional status, head of state/chief executive officer, cabinet
Area, population, cities, languages, money, geography and recent history
Government and politics, political parties, legislature
News media, relations with the United States and IGOs
Call number: REF. JF 37 .P6


Useful Indexes

ILLINET Online
Catalog of books and other materials in the LFC Library
Hint: Be careful of spelling, many international organisations use British spellings (labour instead of labor, organisation instead of organization)

PAIS International (via Ovid)
Indexes journal articles, select books, and government documents on public affairs issues

Academic Universe
Full-text of news media sources, including world and foreign language news


Information on International Organizations

Yearbook of international organizations
London: KG Saur, (1921-)
Over 11,000 entries from European Badminton Union to International Monetary Fund
Description includes contact information, year founded, aims, structure, finance, relations with other organizations, activities, countries
Includes a detailed subject index (for "peace" see "Innovative Change/Peace")
Call number: REF. JX 1904.A42

Yearbook of the United Nations
Boston: Nijhoff, (1946-)
Descriptions of major events of the last year in the United Nations including:
International security, human rights, economic and social questions
Also describes IGOs related to the UN
Call number: REF. JX 1977.A37 Y4

International Governmental Organizations
Northwestern University Library, 1999.
http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/resource/internat/igo.html
August 31, 2000.
Guide to web sites of major IGOs

International Agencies and Information
University of Michigan Library Documents Center, 2000.
http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center/intl.html
August 31, 2000.
Links to best web guides on international affairs
Links to web sites of dozens of major international agencies
Select list of IGO Web Sites
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) http://www.asean.or.id/
International Labour Organization (ILO) http://www.ilo.org/
International Monetary Fund (IMF) http://www.imf.org/
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) http://www.nato.int/
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) http://www.oecd.org/
Organization of American States (OAS) http://www.oas.org/
United Nations (UN)
See especially their Documents Search
http://www.un.org/
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization http://www.unesco.org/
World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/
World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.ch/
World Trade Organization (WTO) http://www.wto.org/

Information on Individual Countries

The Africa Guide
Contains e-journals, web resources, databases, bibliographies, and art on Africa and the African diaspora.

Africa Resource Center
News has stories from over 70 African newspapers and African coverage of the BBC, CNN, and The Washington Post
Photo File includes pictures of people, cultures, wildlife, and places

Annual report, international religious freedom
Report submitted by the U.S. State Department to the U.S. Congress
Paper copy available in Government Documents (DOC. Y 4.IN 8/16:R 27/13)

Background Notes
Brief U.S. Department of State overview of every nation in the world
Paper copies available in Reference

Country Reports on Economic and Trade Practices
Annual Report made by U.S. Commerce Department to Congress
Latest issue in Reference (Ref HF1410 .C69)
Other issues available in Government Documents

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Annual Report made by U.S. State Department to Congress
Available online: 1993- at State Department Website
Available: 1992 to present: U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (Reference Desk)
Available in Print: Latest year in Reference (Ref JC 571 .U58)
Older issues in Government Documents
DOC Y F.76/1-15: (most issues from 1977 - present)

Country Studies
Formery known as Army Area Handbooks
Introductory information on most countries of the world
Donnelley Libary also has two copies of most titles in print

Demographic Yearbook. Annuaire démographique. (Unesco)
Demographic statistics by country
Published annually
Reference Room: REF HA12.5 .U45

Progress of Nations, 1998
Report by UNICEF on the status of children in each nation

Statistical Yearbook. Annuaire statistique. (Unesco)
Education statistics by country
Published annually
Reference Room: REF HA12.5 .U45

Statistical Yearbook. Annuaire statistique. (United Nations)
Basic economic and social statistics by country
Published annually
Reference Room: REF HA12.5 .U63

World Constitutions
Links to the texts of constitutional documents
Compiled by Find Law

World Factbook
From the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency
Print version in the Reference Room: REF G122 .U56A


U.S. Foreign Policy

Foreign Affairs Network
U.S. Department of State.
http://www.state.gov/
August 31, 2000
Official site, includes a wealth of information on U.S. policy.

Congressional Universe
Lexis-Nexis.
http://www.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/
August 31, 2000
Testimony includes full-text of select Congressional hearings.
CIS Index covers all Congressional hearings since 1970.
LFC Library has almost all hearings from 1990 on, and select hearings prior to that.

Foreign Relations of the United States
This series contains official U.S. State Department documents, usually published 30 years after the events took place to provide a historical perspective
The Donnelley Library Leisure Reading Room houses many of the volumes in this series
Lake Forest College's collection starts around the turn of the century
For a complete list of volumes published, see the official U.S. State Department site

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
Annual Report made by U.S. State Department to Congress
Available online: 1993- at State Department Website
1992 to present: U.S. Foreign Affairs on CD-ROM (at Reference Desk)
Latest year in Reference (Ref JC 571 .U58)
Older issues in print (in Government Documents)
DOC Y F.76/1-15:
1977, 1979-1987, 1989-1991



Guides to More Sites Online

International Information
Compiled by Northwestern's Governet Publications Department
One of the best sites for IGO & Foreign Government information available

University of Michigan Documents Center International Page