Available for free download: A PDF copy of my guide
“Tips for Finding Quality Cost-free Internet Resources in International Business”

• Cato Institute-- This libertarian U.S. think-tank features a large online library of free policy studies and briefings, some on international affairs, such those of the Center for Trade Policy Studies, publicizing the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism. Note the Institute's annual Economic Freedom of the World report, free online, that ranks countries on dozens of measures of economic freedom.

• Economic Growth Resources-- For researchers studying economic growth, by Jonathan Temple, University of Bristol, with data sets, journals, literature surveys, researchers, references, networks, and working papers.

• Everything International-- A really excellent, well-organized compilation of annotated links to a wide variety of international business sites by Professor Lloyd Russow, Associate Dean, School of Business Administration, Philadelphia University.

• Fraser Institute-- Independent Canadian research and educational organization with the mission "to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals." Sponsors the Economic Freedom of the World Project (Free the World), which conducts and posts detailed comparative studies on economic freedom around the world, most notably the Economic Freedom of the World Report, with both global and country-specific analysis and rankings.

• globalEDGE-- World class international business portal site from the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), Michigan State University, with resource desk, news, knowledge room, country insights, discussion forum, diagnostic tools, glossary, learning and teaching resources, course modules, and more. Note the Market Potential Indicators for Emerging Markets section.

• Global Trade Negotiations Home Page-- From the Center for International Development at Harvard University, a quite comprehensive site on the topic, with "a collection of research papers and articles, links to other websites, as well as contact information for additional sources."

• Index of Economic Freedom-- "A [searchable] practical reference guide to the world's economies. It includes country-by-country analyses and the most up-to-date data available on foreign investment codes, taxes, tariffs, banking regulations, monetary policy, black markets, and more," from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank aiming to spread the ideas of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. Co-published with The Wall Street Journal.

• Institute for International Economics-- A private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research institution devoted to the study of international economic policy, especially in anticipating emerging issues and offering ideas and suggestions to shape and inform the official and public debates. Some publications and working papers online.

• International Business Resource Connection--  This excellent Web site of the University of Kansas (known as the IBRC) is definitely one of the very best and most comprehensive collections of international trade and business resources on the Internet. Note especially the country, statistical, and intercultural resource sections.

• North American Integration and Development Center-- At UCLA, to conduct research on NAFTA and North American integration, and to assist communities and governments with policies and investment projects for sustainable and equitable development across borders. The Center builds linkages among institutions and organizations in North America.

• Trade Observatory-- From the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (USA), "dedicated to gathering information about international trade and making it free to the public, a true repository of as much information about global trade as we can find." Monitors and analyzes globalization, global trade policy, inequities in the global trade system (particularly in the World Trade Organization), and sustainable development issues. Hundreds of free documents, treaties, and several newsletters are available here.

• Transparency International-- "The global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption...[with a mission] to create change towards a world free of corruption... by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement, raising awareness and diminishing apathy and tolerance of corruption, as well as devising and implementing practical actions to address it." TI's many excellent online corruption surveys, indices, working papers, and reports analyze and rank countries "in terms of the degree to which they are perceived to be the homes of... public officials who abuse their office for personal gain."

• Tuck Trade Agreements Database-- From the Center for International Business at Dartmouth College, "contains the most comprehensive collection of texts of bilateral and regional free trade agreements available on a single online site as well as the only database of free trade and customs union agreements text-searchable by provision or keyword."

• Virtual International Business and Economic Sources-- VIBES, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, provides over 3000 links to international business and economic information on the Internet, such as full texts of recent articles and research reports, statistical tables, graphs, and portals.

• Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce-- Data, articles, and surveys on exports, imports, and capital flows to and from the U.S., and its  position in the world economy.

• Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States-- From the U.S. Department of Commerce, about doing  business in Russia and the other states of the former Soviet Union, with online embassy, market, industry, and country reports, and more.

• BuyUSAinfo-- "Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service. This is the most comprehensive source for commercial information about the United States of America."

• Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Tokyo, Japan-- Information about doing business in Japan and the Japanese economy, plus U.S. and Japanese links.

• Department of Agriculture Agency Reports-- "Newsroom" to access and search current and past reports of the Economic Research Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and World Agricultural Outlook Board of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Export.gov-- "The portal to all export-related assistance and market information offered by the [U.S.] federal government." A huge amount of current market information and analysis for many products and countries, advice on practical matters, and links to related U.S. government websites on trade topics is available through this searchable site. The excellent Market Research section contains many analytical reports and statistics on a wide range of international business-related information, including country situations and practices. The Export America magazine provides much helpful specific information about exporting.

• Export-Import Bank-- The Export-Import Bank of the United States is an independent U.S. government agency that helps finance the overseas sales of U.S. goods and services.

• Foreign Agricultural Service-- Searchable news and analysis on world agricultural trade and policy, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, by countries and commodities, especially as affects the United States. Note the searchable Agricultural Attache Reports from U.S. embassies around the world. The USDA Economic Research Service U.S. Agricultural Trade Briefing Room has information and data on U.S. agricultural trade with all the countries and regions of the world. Also see the more more general USDA Economic Research Service Briefing Rooms for much topical information and analysis.

• Foreign Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics-- Comparative statistical information on labor conditions and developments outside the United States.

• GLOBUS & NTDB-- From STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce, current and historical trade-related releases, international market research,  trade opportunities, country analysis, and the National Trade Data Bank--some data available by subscription only. Note especially their International Trade Library, a large and major resource.

• International Business Information-- From the Strategissite of the Canadian government's Industry Canada, a very useful source for country and regional information, among other types.

• International Trade Administration-- Of the U.S. Department of Commerce, with lots of information on aspects of U.S. international trade. Note the U.S. Foreign Trade Highlights section, with data on U.S. trade in goods and services, and the section with abundant country information in the Trade Information Center.

• International Trade Terms--  Dictionary of hundreds of key terms used in international trade, from the International Trade Data System of the U.S. Customs Service, Department of the Treasury.

• Language of Trade-- Very useful online publication of the International Information Programs division of the U.S. Department of State that includes "a glossary of trade terminology, a list of acronyms used in international trade, and a chronology of major events in international trade since 1916."

• Overseas Private Investment Corporation-- An independent U.S. government agency that assists U.S. companies investing in some 150 emerging economies around the world.

• Market Access and Compliance Center, U.S. Department of Commerce-- Ensures that trade agreements that the U. S. signs are monitored and complied with.

• Trade Data Online-- From Industry Canada, the latest searchable trade data for the U.S. and Canada, obtained from Statistics Canada and the U.S. Department of Commerce, by product and industry. "Provides the ability to generate customized reports on Canada's and U.S. trade with over 200 countries."

• Trademap Canada-- "Database prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division. It is the world's largest international trade database, covering 90% of world merchandise trade. Trademap Canada contains both import and export data for 5,300 different products and 200 countries. From this database you can determine the import and the export of almost any product on a world-wide basis, or specifically within any of the approximate 200 countries covered by the database." Excellent, has tutorial, requires free registration.

• TradeStats Express-- From the Office of Trade and Economic Analysis in the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, information about U.S. imports and exports that can be arranged, compared, and contrasted in many combinations and in a clear format by an advanced search facility.

• U.S Foreign Trade Statistics-- From the U.S. Census Bureau. Includes profile of U.S. exporting companies.

• U.S. International Trade Commission-- An independent, quasi-judicial federal agency that provides trade expertise to government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. The very useful Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb allows customized free searches of various types of U.S. trade data by country and product. Also note the many publications free online.

• United States Trade Representative-- Responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and leading or directing negotiations with other countries on such matters. Note the searchable document library and the many full-text reports and trade agreements available, plus the issue, regional, and sector-specific sections, including U.S. trade policy.

• Corporate Information-- Here you can research a company, a country's main industries, country information links, currency exchange rates, world news (especially business news), company press releases, and more.

• Doing Business in…-- From HLB International, a fine set of country business guides..."prepared for the use of clients, partners and staff of HLB International member firms. It is designed to give some general information to those contemplating doing business in other countries and are not intended to be comprehensive documents."

• Economist-- The outstanding global news weekly from London, with library and searchable archives. Note the Economist Country Briefings, country summaries composed of "articles from The Economist, background profiles, forecasts and statistics from the Economist Intelligence Unit, market and currency updates, newswires and links."

• Economist Intelligence Unit-- This affiliate of  the Economist provides "instant access to global business intelligence," some free and some on a subscription basis.

• ENTERWeb-- Great gateway site for quality information sources on entrepreneurship, small business, finance, international trade, and economics, in developed and developing countries.

• Ernst & Young, Global Section-- Ernst & Young's most helpful site for analysis of the investment climate, taxation, forms of business organization, and business and accounting practices in many countries. Many reports online or linked, particularly in the Library.

• Euromoney Online-- This site includes Euromoney and World Link magazines, extended research and surveys, capital markets league tables from Euromoney's proprietary databases, and dates of forthcoming industry summits, conferences and seminars.  Requires free registration.

• ExecutivePlanet-- "To inspire business travelers to travel with greater cultural awareness," explanations of business cultures and practices, protocol, and cross-cultural tips for major trading nations around the world.

• Far Eastern Economic Review-- Leading source for Asian economic and business news and analysis, with searchable archives.

• Financial Times-- The famous international business newspaper from London. Note their really useful search facility, giving access to articles from top source periodicals worldwide.

• FINWeb-- A financial economics web site, to list Internet resources providing substantive information concerning economics and finance-related topics, including international.

• Getting Through Customs-- By the intercultural training firm of the same name, selections, tips, and quizzes on customs, taboos, holidays, and general dos and don'ts around the world.

• Import-Export Coach-- From the Global Focus Consulting Group, import-export expertise for clients-- consulting, tips, tools, links, resources, business plan development, strategic planning, trade leads, and original articles. Note the very useful free Links and Resources section.

• Interex.be-- From Bank Brussels Lambert of Belgium, an excellent searchable site with much business-oriented information in many categories for scores of countries, plus notes on trends and opportunities worldwide.

• International Business Forum-- Searchable information about international business opportunities, including online resources (such as publications and trade reports), associations, and meetings.

• International Chamber of Commerce-- From "the world business organization," information on the organization, its activities, national affiliates, conferences, and international trade and investment generally.

• International Institute for Management Development-- An independent, not-for-profit foundation located in Lausanne, Switzerland, to help executives and companies find new and innovative ways to sustain global competitiveness. Note the online information from their widely-quoted World Competitiveness Yearbook, "the world’s most renowned and comprehensive annual report on the competitiveness of nations, ranking and analyzing how a nation’s environment creates and sustains the competitiveness of enterprises."

• International stock market quotes-- Major world indices from Yahoo!

• International Trade Import-Export Portal-- From the Federation of International Trade Associations, aims to be "the most content-rich international trade site on the WWW." Note especially the impressive, annotated, and indexed Really Useful Links for International Trade, one of the best searchable databases of international trade Web resources.

• Journal of Commerce-- World-class international business newspaper, searchable and with archives.

• Kwintessential Language and Culture Specialists of the UK provide cross-cultural guidance in the form of Country Profiles, key phrases, articles, and online quizzes.

• Market Watch-- From Dow Jones & Company, thorough coverage of the world's stock markets.

• Qualisteam-- Portal site for world banking and finance, with links to bank websites, stock exchanges, and thousands of financial servers, worldwide.

• Universal Currency Converter-- This full version of the Universal Currency Converter figures rates among over 180 currencies. A standard version is also available for most uses.

• U.S. Council for International Business-- American affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, and the International Organisation of Employers. It officially represents U.S. business positions both in the main intergovernmental bodies and to foreign business communities and their governments.

• World Trade Centers Association-- This organization of nearly 300 World Trade Centers in almost 100 countries offers services and facilities to companies seeking to expand international markets. Their  World Trade Library features links to international trade-related Web sites on the Internet, including country-specific information, news, and trade law.

• Bank for International Settlements-- Owned and controlled by national central banks, the BIS provides services to central banks and, through them, to the international financial system more generally. Publications on world banking are online.

• Consumers International-- "Worldwide non-profit federation of consumer organisations, dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer interests." Publications, annual report, newsletters, campaigns, issues, links.

• Foreign Trade Information System-- Trade Unit of the Organization of American States, with information, statistics, and documents about hemispheric integration, trade trends in the Western Hemisphere, and links to further data.

• Free Trade Area of the Americas-- "Official home page of the Free Trade Area of the Americas process or FTAA. This site follows the process initiated in the 1994 Summit of the Americas to integrate the economies of the Western Hemisphere into a single free trade arrangement."

• GATT Digital Library-- From Stanford University, "this site provides access to documents and information of and about the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), an organization that promoted international commerce and the reduction of trade barriers among member states from 1947-1994."

• Group of 8 Information Centre-- The University of Toronto source on the Big Eight industrial economies and their summit meetings, plus scholarly writings on the topic.

• International Monetary Fund Publications-- Extensive search facility for IMF titles, many of which appear in full text, although some must be ordered.

• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)-- An IGO "network of the national standards institutes of 146 countries, on the basis of one member per country, with a Central Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system." Site has information on the ISO and its work, with documents and reports about the standardization of products and services in the global market.

• International Trade Center-- A  joint subsidiary organ of the WTO and the United Nations, ITC posts excellent infobases, including bibliographies, trade contacts and information sources, trade statistics, services, and market briefs.

• Investment Promotion Network-- "The leading international investment-specific portal Web site providing free access to online foreign investment and privatization resources... an extensive searchable database of over 12,000 Web-based documents which include research on economies and product markets, investment-related laws and treaties, as well as specific investment opportunities... obtained primarily from the World Bank Group, investment promotion agencies and privatization agencies."

• Joint BIS-IMF-OECD-World Bank Statistics on External Debt-- Downloadable, the "latest international data available, mainly from creditor sources, on the external debt of developing and transition countries and territories."

• Market Access Database-- From the Commission of the European Union, market and trade flow data by country, sector, or legal agreement area for scores of non-EU countries.  Also see the European Commission's External Trade site for much information on EU trade matters, internally and with non-members.

• NAFTA Secretariat-- Organization responsible for administration of NAFTA dispute settlements. This site posts "information on the dispute settlement proceedings, legal texts and panel decisions and reports respecting the NAFTA."

• Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation-- The international organization of the industrialized, market-economy countries, to exchange information and harmonize policy to maximize economic growth within member countries and assist non-member countries to develop more rapidly. Many OECD statistics and papers are posted online. The searchable Publications and Documents section is a good place to start. OECD resources focusing on a particular country (OECD member or not) can be found  at the Country Portal. Note especially the  very useful yearly OECD Factbook, "an essential tool providing a global overview of world economic, social and environmental trends." Read the online version of the OECD Observer magazine for a topical approach to the latest interests of OECD research.

• World Bank Group-- This central site includes the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Agency, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Guarantee Agency, and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. A very large number of excellent online publications is available. See the journal Finance & Development. Check out the large Trade section of the Bank, with many online publications. The very good Papers and Links page "offers more than 800 of the best and most current online resources on business environment and privatization issues available for [free] download." The very useful Doing Business site provides objective and comparable measures of the regulatory costs of doing business in over 175 economies, especially concerning how regulations "enhance or constrain investment, productivity, and growth." Country business environment profile and annual world-wide reports are available. The World Bank's Enterprise Analysis unit "provides Enterprise Survey data on the investment climate in 91 countries, based on surveys of more than 58,000 firms. Enterprise surveys measure business perceptions of the investment climate, and can be used to analyze the link to job creation and productivity growth."

• World Customs Organization-- This international organization dealing with customs regulations worldwide posts much information, explanation, and analysis of customs regulations and procedures, news, WTO recommendations, historical documents, a magazine, and links to national customs authorities.

• World Economic Forum-- A world-class organization of leaders from business, government, academia, and the media in a partnership to create new business opportunities and to shape and address in an action-oriented way the key issues on the global agenda. Many excellent online publications about international business. Note the Global Competitiveness section, including the prestigious yearly Global Competitiveness Report and regional reports.

• World Trade Organization-- The only global body dealing with the rules of trade among nations, whose agreements are the legal ground-rules for international commerce and for trade policy. This excellent site has a huge amount of information on international trade, including all official documents issued under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Note the Resources page for statistics, research, publications and other services of the WTO, the International Trade Statistics page, and the Official Documents page for searchable access to all online official WTO documents. The detailed WTO annual report on international trade statistics is especially useful.