Country Information for Business Research

Transparency International seeks to provide reliable quantitative diagnostic tools regarding levels of transparency and corruption, both at global and local levels.
Also see their annual Global Corruption Report, which has reports by country.

At the main page of ProQuest database, click on Publications tab on the top, then locate "Oxford Analytica Country Profiles." 2008 - 2015

click on "Reports" for various competitiveness reports

IMD Business School's annual report on the competitiveness of nations.

A project of the Fund for Peace, this index is a ranking of the worst of the worst for political instability.

Freedom House has long been known for its respected ratings of political rights, civil liberties, and more recently, press freedom. The country pages provide detailed background information (including ethnic and religious groups) and explanations of the ratings.

Originally a research project on political instability funded by the CIA, now a public-private-academic partnership that's taken on a life of its own. There is, unfortunately, no state failure ranking. There are, however, research reports, listing variables that explain historical state failures with 80-plus percent accuracy. Also includes downloadable data on state failures, quite useful for those designing their own political risk models that will change the world.