Globalization
Country Analysis
One of the major goals of this term is to better understand the nature of development, understood not only in terms of economic growth, but also in terms of improvement in the quality of life. In order to do so, a basic understanding of some of the major economic and social indicators is necessary. This corresponds to the University Studies goals of teaching quantitative literacy in communication and to its goal of studying the diversity of human experience. We will compare a sample of assignments when everyone has completed them. Finally, as you do this assignment you should study the indicators below. This will help you on the exam. You may be asked to draw on your country analysis as part of the final exam.
Listed below are terms under four headings: General Information; Economic Indicators; Government; and Quality of Life. Find information for all of the terms below. Include the source from which you took your information in brackets, e.g., United States, GDP per capital, $47,200, PPP, US dollars (World Bank).
There are many sources that provide information. Some useful resources include:
· World Bank, http://data.worldbank.org/
· International Monetary Fund (IMF) Data and Statistics, http://www.imf.org/external/data.htm
· CIA - The World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
· United Nations Human Development Report, http://hdr.undp.org/en/
· Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), http://www.oecd.org
· World Trade Organization, International Trade and Tariff Data, http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm
· United Nations World Food Programme, http://www.wfp.org/
· The Economist Intelligence Unit (requires subscription)
If possible, you should also check statistics published by the country you are investigating.
[Name of Country]
General Information
Population
Urban Population (percentage)
Major ethnic groups
Major languages
Religions
Major industries
Agriculture
Birth Rate
Net Migration Rate
Government
Government Type
Freedom House Political Rights Score
Freedom House Civil Liberties Score
Gender Empowerment Measure (United Nations Development Program)
Press Freedom Index (Reporters Without Borders)
Economic Indicators
Gross Domestic Profit (GDP)
GDP per capita
Gross National Profit (GNP)
GNP per capita
Annual Growth (change in real GDP)
Inflation Rate
Unemployment Rate
Government Debt (i.e., owed by the central government)
Foreign Debt
Foreign Direct Investment (net inflow)
Net exports (exports minus imports)
Quality of Life
Percentage of Population below the poverty line
Human Development Index (United Nations Development Program)
Life Expectancy at Birth
Mean Years of Education
Expected Years of Education
GNI Per Capita
Gini Coefficient
Literacy rate (women)
Literacy rate (men)
Environmental Performance Index (Yale University, http://epi.yale.edu/)
CO2 Emissions