# Publisher: Thomson Gale (May 2002)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0787649554
# ISBN-13: 978-0787649555

From Booklist
The ultimate aim of this resource is stated in an introductory essay written by contributor Gerald W. Fry: "It is our hope that this set will enhance both economic and geographic literacy critically needed in an increasingly interconnected world." The editors and contributors attempt to accomplish this by presenting a series of accessible articles that methodically analyze the economic structures and financial climates of 198 countries and territories.

Countries are arranged in alphabetical order within four regional volumes. The country entries have two goals: to present a clear picture of current economic conditions and to provide statistical data that will allow for comparative interpretations. Within entries, information is divided into 14 standardized subdivisions, among them a country overview; an overview of the economy; a section on politics, government, and taxation; and a section on infrastructure, power and communications. Subsequent sections treat economic sectors, agriculture, industry, services, international trade, money, poverty and wealth, working conditions, the country's history and economic development (in time-line format), and future trends. A fifteenth subdivision looks at the economies of any dependencies, colonies, or territories. A country-specific bibliography of print and electronic sources completes each entry.

Fact boxes, maps, charts, and tables, all rendered in crisp black-and-white, accompany the text. The statistical data comes from various sources, including the World Bank's World Development Indicators, the U.N.'s Human Development Report, and the International Financial Statistics Yearbook, published by the International Monetary Fund. There is some unevenness in the statistics due to reporting irregularities or idiosyncratic procedures of reporing agencies, but in many cases researchers will be able to make direct comparisons and contrasts. A 16-page insert repeated in each volume features small but detailed, full-color reproductions of paper currency. Each volume ends with a glossary a set index.

The appeal of this work is that a tremendous amount of often-elusive information has been neatly sorted into manageable units. There is an increased call for this sort of data as the social studies curriculum evolves to reflect a global perspective. Accessible to students in tenth grade and up, this set will be of primary interest to high-school and academic library collections. Public libraries will want to consider it as well. RBB
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