The Media often uses indexes to compare the performance of countries. In fact, recent years have witnessed an explosive growth in the number and variety of indexes available, ranging from the highly complex, such as the Knowledge Economy Index (World Bank), to the simplest or most subjective, such as the Big Mac Index (The Economist) or the Happiness Index. Elaborated by international organizations, governments, universities, research centers or consulting firms, composite indexes allow us to integrate large amounts of information into easily digestible formats. Composite indexes are increasingly recognized as a useful tool, although their accurancy and realibility are at times brought into question. It is beyond doubt, however, that great strides have been made in our capacity to assemble data and construct indicators that can accurately measure both objective and subjective factors. In this issue of the Library Newsletter we would like to present a selection of some of the best-known and most widely-used indexes:

• Business + Economics

Composite Leading Indicators (OECD)

Knowledge Economy Index (The World Bank)

Index of Economic Freedom (The Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal)

Economic Sentiment Indicator (EC, DG Economic and Financial Affairs) 

Index of Economic Well-being 

Paying Taxes Index (World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and PricewaterhouseCoopers) 

Ease of Doing Business Index (World Bank) 

Global Business Cycle Indicators (The Conference Board)
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Consumer Confidence Index (The Conference Board) 
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• Labor

Labor Euroindex (IESE, IRCO & ADECCO) 

Labor Indicator of the Autonomous Communities (IESE, IRCO & ADECCO)

• Political

Democracy Index (Economist Intelligence Unit) 

Global Integrity Index (Global Integrity) 

Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International)

Governance Indicators (World Bank) 

Global Peace Index (Vision of Humanity)

• Social

Human Development Index (United Nations Developments Program)

Gender Gap Index (World Economic Forum) 

Happiness Index

Quality of Life Index (Economist Intelligence Unit)

• Environment + Sustainability 
 
Environmental Performance Index (Yale and Columbia Universities) 

Living Planet Index (WWF)

DJ Sustainability Indexes (Dow Jones) 

Genuine Progress Indicator (Redefining Progress)

The Happy Planet Index (New Economics Foundation)

• Globalization 
 
CSGR Globalisation Index (Warwick University) 

G-Index (A.T. Kearney & Foreign Policy) 

Global Competitiveness Index (World Economic Forum)

World Competitiveness Yearbook Index (IMD)
On-campus access only

• Innovation + Technology

The European Innovation Scoreboard (European Commission) 

Global Innovation Index (S&P and Business Week) 

Global Innovation Index (INSEAD and Confederation of Indian Industry)

Find out more from:

A Survey of Composite Indices Measuring Country Performance: 2008 Update 
Lists indices in alphabetical order, providing for each entry: the author or organization responsible for the index; a description of the index and its methodology together with the year of creation, frequency of issuance and relevant sources.

An Overview of Sustainability Assessment Methodologies 
An overview of sustainability indices.

Index of Indexes (Financial Dictionary) 
One of the main sources used by financial dictionaries is the Financial Glossary complied by Campbell R. Harvey, renowned finance expert, and J. Paul Sticht, professor of international business at Duke University. It provides concise definitions of 8,000 terms and includes 18,000 useful links.

NBER Economic indicators and releases 
List developed by the National Bureau of Economic Research; frequently updated Monday through Friday.

Search Tool: ExecuComp

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Hints & Tips: How can I find subsidiaries of companies headquartered in a different country?

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