You can use country reports and studies to find background information, official languages, legal history, systems of government, directories of government agencies, structure and names of legislatures and courts, and other information on legal systems, human rights, and business climate.
- CIA World Factbook and CIA Directory of Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
- Library of Congress Country Studies (Area Handbook Series
- Topics include historical background, society, government systems.
- Published between 1967 and 2002.
- A larger and older collection of the country studies are in the Hein World Constitutions database.
- Foreign Law Guide (subscription database): Entries by jurisdiction include legal history and descriptions of the country’s government and legal institutions, as well as sources for legal research.
- Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia (1984-2005) (K530 .M62). Available online through Hein Online's World Constitutions.
- Europa World (subscription database): Country profiles, including recent history, government, and statistics. Includes information on elections and recent events, constitutional and economic information, and government directories.
- EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) Country Reports (subscription database): Business information, economic outlook, domestic politics, and monetary policy
- OECD iLibrary: Reports and statistics by theme and country, including reports on taxation, finance, energy, trade, and development
- State Department Country Reports on Human Rights
- United Nations Human Rights Reports by Country