Data Sources

Since the company’s founding, the PRS research department as an integral part of its editorial processes.  Over the years, our researchers have moved from using newspapers, magazines and other print publications to gather up-to-date country facts and data to the current practice of locating the most up-to-date data through Internet research.  Knowledgeable personal contacts have always played a major role in research as well.

The list below represents the primary resources, those with global coverage, although our researchers currently use the electronic versions of many.  Presented are the terms used for Political Risk Services variables--geographic and political data, domestic economic indicators, international economic indicators, and social indicators—as well as the bibliography of the sources referenced in the variables listings.  The sourcing indicates the most frequently used authority.  “PRS research files” refers to data files we maintain, primarily from news sources and the reports of our country specialists.  When there is more than one source, the primary source of information is preceded by an asterisk (*). 

Geographic & Political Data

Administrative Subdivisions:  The number and type of administrative districts in the country (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Area:  The total area of the country in square kilometers (World Almanac).

Capital:  The designated seat of government of the country (World Almanac).

Constitution:  The date of promulgation of the country’s current constitution (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Currency Exchange System:  A description of the exchange characteristics of the currency (*IFS, PRS research files).

Elections:  The national election schedule and terms of office; the date of the most recent election; and the date of the next election or the date by which the next election must be held, as appropriate (*embassies, PRS research files).

Exchange Rate:  The value of the currency in relation to the US dollar on the most recent date available.  The dollar is reported in relation to the euro (*IFS, PRS research files).

Head of Government:  The administrative leader of the government, and the year of accession (*Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments, World Almanac).

Head of State:  The formal leader of the country, and the year of the leader’s accession (*Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments, World Almanac).

Legislature:  The types of national legislative bodies and the distribution of seats among the major political parties (*embassies, PRS research files, World Factbook).

Official Language:  The officially designated language(s) of the government (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Officials:  A listing of major government officials and their posts.  Priority is given to the following:  Deputy Prime Minister, Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Development, Energy, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Industry, Interior, Labor, Mining, Planning, Security, and Trade (*Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments, PRS research files).

Population:  A mid-year estimate of the total number of people living in the country (*IFS, World Factbook, World Almanac).

Sectors of Government Participation:  The areas of the economy in which the government exercises control or ownership (*National Trade Data Bank, PRS research files).

Status of the Press:  The freedom accorded to the news media to report and editorialize (*PRS research files).

Domestic Economic Indicators

Budget Balance:  The difference between (a) revenue and applicable grants received and (b) expenditure and lending, minus repayments (includes foreign lending) (*IFS, PRS research files).

Budget Balance/GDP:  Budget balance, as defined above, as a percentage of gross domestic product (*IFS, PRS research files).

Budget Expenditures:  One year’s nonrepayable and nonrepaying payments by governments, plus government acquisition of claims on others (loans and equities), minus repayments of lending and sales of equities previously purchased (*IFS, PRS research files).

Budget Expenditures/GDP:  Expenditures, as defined above, as a percentage of gross domestic product (*IFS, PRS research files).

Budget Revenues:  One year’s nonrepayable and nonrepaying government receipts, plus grants received from other governments (domestic or foreign) and international institutions (*IFS, PRS research files).

Budget Revenues/GDP:  Revenues, as defined above, as a percentage of gross domestic product (*IFS, PRS research files).

Capital Investment:  The annual value of gross fixed capital formation (IFS).

Capital Investment/GDP:  The value of capital investment as a percentage of gross domestic product (IFS).

Change in Real Wages:  The annual percent change in real (inflation-adjusted) wages (*IFS, Foreign Labor Trends, PRS research files).

Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  One year’s nominal value of the total final output of goods and services the country’s economy produced within a country’s territorial jurisdiction, regardless of the foreign or domestic ownership of the source of the production (*IFS, PRS research files).

Inflation:  The annual percent change in a consumer price index (*IFS, PRS research files).

Money Supply (M1):  The year-end stock of money in the economy.  Components of M1 include currency in circulation, commercial bank deposits, NOW accounts, credit union share drafts, mutual savings bank demand deposits, and nonbank travelers checks (*IFS, PRS research files).

Per Capita GDP:  The ratio of GDP to population (*IFS, PRS research files).

Real Growth Rate:  The annual percent change in GDP, adjusted by the inflation rate (*IFS, PRS research files).

Unemployment Rate:  The year’s average percentage of the labor force without work during the period cited (PRS research files).

International Economic Indicators

Currency Change:  The annual percent change in the national currency value in relation to the US dollar; for the dollar, the percent change in relation to the euro (*IFS, PRS research files).

Currency Exchange Rate:  The national currency value in relation to the US dollar; for the dollar, the value in relation to the euro; for EMU countries, exchange rate based on value of the euro beginning in 1999 (*IFS, PRS research files).

Current Account:  The year’s total balance of payments on goods and services and all transfer payments:  the difference between (a) exports of goods and services, plus inflows of unrequited official and private transfers, and (b) imports of goods and services, plus unrequited transfers to the rest of the world (*IFS, PRS research files).

Current Account/GDP:  Current account, as defined above, as a percentage of gross domestic product (*IFS, PRS research files).

Current Account/XGS (%): Current account, as defined above, as a percentage of exports of goods and services (*IFS, PRS research files).

Debt Service ($bn):  The year’s sum of interest and principal repayments on external public and publicly guaranteed debt  (*IFS, PRS research files).

Debt Service/XGS (Debt Service Ratio):  The year’s sum of interest and principal repayments on external public and publicly guaranteed debt as a percentage of exports of goods and services (PRS research files).

Exports G&S ($bn):  The year’s value of exports of goods and services (*IFS, PRS research files).

Exports of Services ($bn):  The year’s value of exports of services (*IFS, PRS research files).

Foreign Direct Investment:  One year’s investment by foreign citizens in domestic business; usually involves majority stock ownership of the enterprise (*IFS, PRS research files).

Foreign Trade Balance:  The year’s value of merchandise exports, measured free-on-board, minus the year’s value of merchandise imports, measured free-on-board (*IFS, PRS research files).

Forex Reserves: The year-end value of foreign currency (excluding gold) held by a central bank for purposes of exchange intervention settlement of intergovernmental claims (*IFS, PRS research files).

Gold Reserves ($bn):  The year-end value of gold reserves held by a central bank (IFS).

Gross Reserves (ex gold, $bn):  The year-end value of assets denominated in foreign currency and SDRs, excluding gold, held by a central bank (IFS).

Gross Reserves (inc gold, $bn):  The year-end value of assets denominated in foreign currency and SDRs, plus gold, held by a central bank (IFS).

Income, credit ($bn):  The year’s value of income received (IFS).

Liabilities ($bn):  The foreign liabilities of the monetary authorities (IFS).

Liquidity (months import cover):  Estimated annual net liquidity expressed as months of cover and calculated as the official reserves of the individual countries, including their official gold reserves calculated at current free market prices, but excluding the use of IMF credits and the foreign liabilities of the monetary authorities (*IFS, PRS research files).

Merchandise Exports:  The year’s value of merchandise exports, measured free-on-board (*IFS, PRS research files).

Merchandise Imports:  The year’s value of merchandise imports, measured free-on-board  (*IFS, PRS research files).

Net Reserves ($bn):  The year-end value of gross reserves, including gold, minus liabilities (IFS).

Total Foreign Debt: The year-end value of gross indebtedness by private and public sector domestic borrowers to foreign entities (PRS research files).

Total Foreign Debt/GDP: Total Foreign Debt, as defined above, as a percentage of gross domestic product (PRS research files).

Transfers, credit ($bn):  The year’s value of transfer payments received, excluding those for exceptional financing (IFS).

Social Indicators

Agriculture Work Force:  The year-end percentage of the work force employed in agricultural production (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Energy - consumption/head:  The amount of primary energy consumed per person in trillion Btu (World Development Report).

Energy – total consumption:  The amount of primary energy consumed in quadrillion Btu (World Development Report).

Ethnic Groups:  Groups with which significant percentages of the population identify themselves (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Industry-Commerce Work Force:  The year-end percentage of the work force employed in industrial production and commerce (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Infant Deaths/1000:  One year’s total deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a calendar year (World Development Report, World Population Data Sheet).

Languages:  Languages spoken by significant percentages of the population (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Literacy:  The year-end percentage of persons age 15 and over who can read and write (*World Development Report, World Almanac, PRS research files).

Persons under Age 15:  The percentage of the population age zero to 14 years, inclusive (*World Almanac, World Population Data Sheet, PRS research files).

Population Growth:  The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births to deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country.  The rate may be positive or negative (*IFS, World Population Data Sheet, World Factbook).

Religions:  The religious preferences of significant percentages of the population (*World Almanac, National Trade Data Bank, World Factbook).

Services Work Force:  The year-end percentage of the work force employed in service-oriented production (*World Almanac, World Factbook).

Unionized Work Force:  The year-end percentage of the work force that is organized, independent of the government (World Factbook).

Urban Growth:  The average annual percent change in the urban population of the country (*World Development Report, World Factbook).

Urban Population:  The mid-year percentage of the population living in urban areas (*World Development Report, World Population Data Sheet, World Almanac, World Factbook).

Bibliography

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. Springfield, VA:  National Technical Information Service. Monthly.

Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions.  Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund.  Annual.

International Financial Statistics. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund. Monthly.

OECD Economic Outlook. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Semiannual.

OECD Economic Surveys. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Periodical.

The PRS Group Research Library & Data Files.

The PRS Group Network of Country Risk Analysts.

World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York: Newspaper Enterprise Association.  Annual.

World Development Indicators. Washington, DC: World Bank. Annual.

World Factbook.  Washington, DC:  Central Intelligence Agency.  Annual.