Virtual Library

• Home
• Scholarly Papers and Articles
• Virtual Libraries
• Maps and Earth Images
• News Sources
• International Radio and Television
• International Relations Journals and Magazines
• Research Institutes
• United States Government
• United Nations
• European Union
• Other Intergovernmental Organizations
• Nongovernmental Organizations
• American Foreign Policy
• Global and Cross-cultural Issues
• General Resources for all Countries
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Asia
• Middle East
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Africa
• International Business and Economics
• International Development
• International Communications
• Global Environment
• Peace, Conflict Resolution, and International Security
• Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs
• International and National Law
• Public Health
• Comparative and International Education
• Study, Work, Internships, and Service Abroad
• German Language Learning
• French Language Learning
• Spanish Language Learning
• General Resources for Foreign Language Learning

Cross-cultural Issues

• Commisceo Global Consultancy of the UK offers cross-cultural guidance in the form of country insight reports, cultural and management guides, a cultural awareness manual, and quizzes.

• Cultural Atlas-- From Australia, the Cultural Profiles section provides essential cultural information for many countries.
 

• Culturelink Network-- The network of networks for research and cooperation in cultural development, established by UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Note the Culturelink Review and databases.

• Institute for Cultural Diplomacy-- Headquartered in Berlin, "one of Europe's leading organisations in the field of cultural exchange... [whose] research and programmes in the area of cultural communication and rapprochement offer viable alternatives to enhance traditional diplomatic policy." Posts information, studies, and opportunities for "inter- and intra- cultural dialogue between different cultures."

• Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation-- At the University of Warwick, England, "the largest academic centre in Europe dealing with this subject area," focusing on "issues of the definition, measurement, impacts, and policy implications of globalisation and regionalisation." Site posts discussion and working papers, and the CSGR Globalization Index, which "measures the economic, social and political dimensions of globalisation for countries on an annual basis over the period 1982 to 2004, and combines these into an overall globalisation index, or score."

• Dialogue on Globalization-- From the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (non-profit German institution committed to the principles of social democracy), this site presents hundreds of free publications online, ranging from short briefing papers to in-depth studies, many from authors in the Global South. The site also provides information on the agenda-setting of important global conferences and discusses their results.

• Global Governance Watch-- "Joint project of the American Enterprise Institute and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies... to raise awareness of the growing global governance movement and to address issues of transparency and accountability at the United Nations, in NGOs, and related international organizations. In particular, the project monitors issues of national sovereignty and the ways in which the agendas of international organizations influence domestic politics."

• Globalist-- Comprehensive daily online magazine about the global economy, politics and culture that "provides a daily account of key issues before the global community," with news, features, quizzes, and information on many facets of globalization.

•  Globalization: A Resource Guide-- From the U.S. Library of Congress, "This research guide provides access to resources that define and analyze the significance of internationalization in global economic development, the history and elements of business globalization, as well as current trends."

• Migration Policy Institute-- From Washington, D.C, "analysis, development, and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at local, national, and international levels... to meet the demand for pragmatic and thoughtful responses to the challenges and opportunities that large-scale migration, whether voluntary or forced, presents to communities and institutions in an increasingly integrated world." Note the MPI Europe website and the online journal Migration Information Source.

• Pew Research Center-- Excellent "nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world [through] public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research." Note the International Affairs page and the Global Indicators Database, which allows users to find poll results on diverse topics in the scores of countries where Pew has done surveys.

• Population Reference Bureau-- Superb for authoritative data and analysis on world, regional, and national population and demographics trends. Features a large multimedia repository. The data section is very good. Note their Annual Report and their annual World Population Data Sheet for "up-to-date demographic, health, and environment data for all the countries and major regions of the world."

• United Nations Population Fund-- "World's largest international source of funding for population and reproductive health programmes." This U.N. site provides much information, news, and analysis on world population issues, including the excellent annual State of World Population report, free online.

• United States Census Bureau's International Programs Section-- A rich computerized data bank containing statistical tables of past, present, and projected demographic and socio-economic data for most countries and all areas of the world. A popular feature is the World Population Clock, with an interactive map and country data.

• World Economic Outlook-- "Presents IMF staff economists' analyses of global economic developments during the near and medium term. Chapters give an overview of the world economy; consider issues affecting industrial countries, developing countries, and economies in transition to market; and address topics of pressing current interest." Also note the World Economic Outlook Databases.

• WorldPublicOpinion.org-- "Provides information and analysis about public opinion on international policy issues from around the world. While the studies of [our own] network figure prominently, the website draws together data from a wide variety of sources from around the world." From the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland, posts excellent international public opinion polls.