Library Guides: POLI 3520: International Organizations: Background Information

Finding Background Information

Need to spin up on the history and politics of the country you've been assigned? Try searching your country name in the research databases and resources below.

Country Profiles & Reports

Economist Intelligence Unit Reports
Select the country you're interested from the dropdown menu to discover one-click reports, forecasts, and more.
CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook provides basic information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.
World Bank - Country & Regions
World Bank briefs and reports on economic conditions of geographic regions and individual countries of the world.
Countries & Areas-U.S. Department of State
These publications include facts about the land, people, history, government, political conditions, economy, and foreign relations of independent states, some dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty. The Background Notes are updated/revised by the Office of Electronic Information and Publications of the Bureau of Public Affairs as they are received from the Department's regional bureaus.

Politics Encyclopedias

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of Politics offer synopses of key topics and themes in a wide range of subjects: contentious politics and political violence; governance and political change; groups and identities; history and politics; international political economy; policy and administration; politics and law; postmodern and critical politics; public opinion; world politics; quantitative and qualitative methodologies; and political anthropology, behavior, communication, economy, institutions, philosophy, psychology sociology, and values and ideologies.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies This link opens in a new window
Oxford University Press has partnered with the International Studies Association (ISA) on the Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of International Studies. Articles cover a wide range of subjects: conflict studies, development, diplomacy, environment, ethics, foreign policy, human rights, identity, international law, international relations theory, pedagogy, gender and sexuality, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and political communication, economy, geography, and sociology.

History Encyclopedias

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of African History offer synopses of key historical topics and themes throughout the African continent. Each encyclopedia article includes overview information, a discussion of the scholarly literature, a list of key primary sources, links to digital resources, and suggestions for further reading.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Asian History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of Asian History offer synopses of key historical topics and themes throughout the Asian continent, including the Middle East. Each encyclopedia article includes overview information, a discussion of the scholarly literature, a list of key primary sources, links to digital resources, and suggestions for further reading.
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History This link opens in a new window
The Oxford Research Encyclopedia (ORE) of Latin American History offer synopses of key historical topics and themes spanning Latin America and the Caribbean. Each encyclopedia article includes overview information, a discussion of the scholarly literature, a list of key primary sources, links to digital resources, and suggestions for further reading.

More Reference Works

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference is a database that allows you to discover and access hundreds of reference books, such as encyclopedias and historical dictionaries, from high-quality publishers.