UPPSALA UNIVERSITY
Department of Social and Economic Geography
Center for Research on Innovation and Industrial Dynamics
(CIND)
Visiting Professor Örjan Sölvell
In cooperation with
Professor Michael E. Porter
Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC) at Harvard Business School
Microeconomics of Competitiveness (MOC)
2003
Contents:
Introduction
MOC 2003
Module 1 – Competition and Strategy (15/6 19.00 – 17/6 16.00)
Module 2 – The microeconomic Environment (1/9 09.00 - 2/9 16.00)
Module 3 – Nations and Regions (29/9 09.00 - 30/9 16.00)
Module 4 - Cluster Project (27/10 09.00 - 28/10 16.00)
Rev. 03-01-13
Introduction
During the academic year 2001/2002, University Professor Michael E Porter, Director for the Institute for
Strategy and Competitiveness (ISC) (www.isc.hbs.edu) at the Harvard Business School, and Professor Örjan
Sölvell, Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics (IIB) and Fellow at ISC, jointly developed a new
course entitled ‘Microeconomics of Competitiveness’ (MOC).
The Microeconomics of Competitiveness course was first taught at the Harvard Business School in the
spring of 2002. The student body of around 100 students included second-year students from the Harvard
Business School, The Kennedy School of Government, M.I.T. Sloan School and the Fletcher School of Law
and Diplomacy. In parallel, the course was also taught at SSE Riga in Latvia and INCAE in Costa Rica. In
2003 MOC will be taught at some 15-20 universities around the world.
The ultimate aim of developing this unique course was that it would be taught at universities throughout the
world, involving students, practitioners and policy makers. Furthermore, that the course would serve as a
stimulus for new teaching materials and instructor learning, and that it would lead to the advancement of
competitiveness theory and practice. In adapted form the course can also be used as a vehicle for
implementation of a competitiveness agenda for a nation or region.
This document outlines the course, its pedagogy, structure and content.
Microeconomics of Competitiveness
The Microeconomics of Competitiveness course is concerned with the determinants of competitiveness and
economic development viewed from a bottom up, microeconomic perspective. While sound macroeconomic
policies, stable legal and political systems, and the accumulation of factors of production affect the potential
for competitiveness, wealth is created at the microeconomic level. The strategies of firms, the vitality of
clusters, and quality of the business environment in which competition takes place are what ultimately
determines a nation’s or region’s productivity and wealth.
The course covers both developing and advanced economies. The focus is on emerging, transition and
advanced countries where microeconomic agendas are critical to sustained success. Furthermore, the
course addresses competitiveness at the level of nations, states or cities within nations, clusters, and groups
of neighboring countries. A major theme of the course is that competitiveness and economic development is
affected by policies at all these levels.
The course is concerned with government policy but also with the roles of business, universities, and other
institutions in competitiveness. In modern international competition, the roles of the constituencies have
shifted and expanded, and the traditional separation between them works against successful economic
development. Also, the ability to mount and sustain a competitiveness strategy for a nation or region is a
daunting challenge. The course explores not only theory and policy, but also the nature of the organizational
structure and institutions for sustained improvements in competitiveness. In addition to both macro and micro
policy choices, the course underlines the role of history, i.e. the legacy of nations (such as language, culture
and general institutions), and geography, i.e. the regional circumstances (such as the level of development
among neighboring nations and the intensity in regional interaction).
Objectives
The objective of the course is for the students to gain a deeper understanding of how firms develop
strategies in different business contexts. Furthermore, students will gain an understanding of the
microeconomic drivers behind competitiveness and improved productivity in a society, and the role of
policymaking in that process. The course is presented in such a way that students can combine their
understanding of the micro-perspective of firms, clusters and competition with the broader framework of
policymaking at different levels of government
2
Rev. 03-01-13
Pedagogy
The course is taught using the case method, together with readings, lectures, and guests. The case method
requires extensive advance preparation for each class, and a significant part of the course grade is based on
participation. The course also involves a major team project involving the competitive assessment of a
particular country.
Advanced training in economics or management is required. The course will provide a sufficient foundation
in industry competition and competitive strategy to allow students without management training to grasp
course concepts.
Grading will be based on class participation (50%), and the cluster project (50%).
Materials
Study materials for the course include two books and some 20 cases. The main texts include:
Porter, M., E. (1998) On Competition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Sölvell, Ö; Zander, I; Porter, M. E (1993) Advantage Sweden (2nd ed.) Stockholm: Norstedts Juridik.
The following cases (HBS case numbers are within parentheses) were used in spring 2002:
Finland and Nokia (9-702-427)
Intel Corporation, 1968-1997 (9-797-137)
Volvo Trucks (A) Penetrating the U.S. Market (9-702-418)
The Japanese Facsimile Industry in 1990 (9-391-209)
Chile (9-798-092)
Estonia in Transition (9-702-436)
The California Wine Cluster (9-799-124)
Global Wine and The Australian Challenge (9-302-113)
Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique
Acplásticos
Building a Cluster: electronics and Information Technology in Costa Rica
Atlas Electric: International Strategy
AFP Provida
Singapore (9-793-096)
The State of Connecticut: Strategy for Economic Development
Central America: Strategy for Economic Integration
3
Rev. 03-01-13
MOC 2003
The Uppsala/CIND version of MOC is composed of four intensive 2-day modules (students should expect the
equivalent number of days for preparation of readings and cases plus 10 full days of project work). The
group will consist of some 30 participants including graduate students from Uppsala University and people
working in policy bodies at national, regional and local levels. All teaching materials are in English. However,
classes will be held in Swedish (with the exception of lectures held by Professor Porter via digital media).
The four modules cover:
1. Firms and Industries. The first part deals with issues of competition and strategy. The five competitive
forces are analyzed. Strategies of firms in developing countries are contrasted with world leading global
firms. Special emphasis is given to global strategies, foreign market entry and emergence of global
competition. An introductory case, Finland and Nokia, covers the three key levels of analysis: the nation,
the cluster and the firm.
2. The Microeconomic Business Environment. The second part includes the microeconomic business
environment and clusters. The Diamond framework is presented as well as the role of clusters in modern
global competition. It is shown how the diamond model works as a system of determinants. Leading
countries are contrasted with transition economies and emerging economies. Policy choices are
analyzed but are not put at the center of case discussions or lectures.
3. Nations and Regions. The third part focuses on policy choices and processes at different levels. The
distinction between macro and micro policies is made. Policy discussions range from developing
countries to the most developed nations in the world, and from local and state government to national
and cross-border regional policymaking.
4 Cluster Project. Student teams work on a country project, including analysis of a chosen nation and a
cluster within that nation. Presentations end with policy recommendations.
The course covers three empirical settings:
Advanced nations (Finland, Japan, United States, Australia and Switzerland)
Emerging and transition economies (Chile, Estonia, Costa Rica, Singapore and Colombia)
Cross-border and sub-national regions (California, Connecticut, Baltic Rim and Central America).
The course is built up from the micro perspective, beginning with an understanding of firm strategies and
industry competition, both in a local and global context. The sophistication of company operations and
strategy in turn is dependent upon the quality of the microeconomic business environment (and vice-versa
more sophisticated strategies tends to build a more advanced microeconomic environment). These two
microeconomic foundations of development – firms strategies and the surrounding microenvironment – is in
turn built up against a backdrop of macroeconomic conditions, and the broader political, legal and social
environment within a nation, a sub-national region or a cross-border region. A sound macroeconomic,
political, legal, and social context creates the potential for competitiveness, but are not sufficient.
Competitiveness ultimately depends on improving the microeconomic capability of the economy and the
sophistication of local competition.
4
Rev. 03-01-13
The first three modules of the course cover a series of cases, lectures and guests structured in such a way
as to facilitate a deep understanding of political and economic forces and how they work as a system within
an economy, including the nation’s policy choices, its legacy and cross-border regional context, the
microeconomic environment (the diamond model), regional clusters, including interlinked industries, and
firms. Cases and lectures are cumulative and each session covers many themes, and themes reoccur
throughout the course.
The ‘MOC space’ we are covering in the course is based on five building blocs (see Figure below). The
course brings up several levels of policymaking, legacy, geographical and institutional context (from global to
local), different levels of the microeconomic environment (cluster diamond, national diamond, and element
from cross-border diamonds), and different units of economic organization (cluster, industry/5-forces and
firm/ value chain). The course begins on the right-hand side and moves to the left.
5
Rev. 03-01-13
Module 1 – Competition and Strategy
The focus of the first module is on firm strategies and industry competition (multi-domestic and global). The
first case serves as an introduction to the whole course and covers the level of the firm, the industry
(including global competition in mobile telecommunications), the telecom cluster in Finland and the level of
the nation, including policy choices at the macro and micro levels. The overarching questions is why Finland
and Nokia have become such success cases? Answers are given at the macro and micro levels (nation),
telecom cluster growth (cluster & diamond) and a lead firm.
Introduction by Prof. Sölvell and Porter
- The fundamentals of the MOC course
- Presentation of the themes constituting the course
- Presentation of the methodology of the course
Students Prepare
Case: Finland and Nokia (9-702-427)
Reading: On Competition, Chapters 1, 6, 7
Assignment Questions
1. Why did Finland move from a sleepy economy to one of the most competitive nations in the world?
2. How was Finland able to become a world-leading nation in mobile communications? Why
did this cluster emerge to drive growth rather than others?
3. Why did Nokia become a world leader in mobile handsets?
4. What are the critical challenges today for the Finnish government? For
participants in the Finnish mobile communications cluster? For Nokia?
5. What should the government do in early 2002? What should the private sector do?
Lecture by Prof. Porter
- Main concepts and models used throughout the course
- Performance of countries based on welfare/productivity/competitiveness/innovation and change
- Different agendas for developed and developing countries
The second session is designed to offer insight into strategy formulation and the economics of industries
(and the broader set of five forces). Focus is on the U.S. firm Intel and its strategies in two businesses:
DRAMS and Microprocessors (MP). In terms of industry competition (and 5-forces) the microprocessor
business is shown to be more attractive than DRAMS. The case also allows for discussion of differences of
United States and Japan in terms of their clusters (computers versus consumer electronics).
Students Prepare
Case: Intel Corporation, 1968-1997. (9-797-137)
Review Chapter 1 in On Competition.
Prepare Chapter 2 and read quickly Chapter 5 in On Competition.
Assignment Questions
1.Why was Intel initially successful in DRAMs?
2.How did a number of Japanese companies achieve leadership? Why couldn’t Intel recover?
3.How did Intel build a competitive advantage in microprocessors? How has the company managed to
sustain the advantage over time?
4.Why did U.S. companies dominate the microprocessor business from the beginning?
5.What are the differences between the DRAM and microprocessor industries?
6
Rev. 03-01-13
Lecture by Prof. Porter
- Levels of Strategy: corporate Strategy and Business Unit - Competitive - Strategy
- What is Strategy?
- Five-force analysis
- Sustainability of supra-normal profits
Session number three covers global strategy (including entry strategy into a new market), and global
competition. The case is about the heavy truck industry, with a focus on Volvo Trucks. The truck industry is
yet not a global industry, and integration between Europe and the United States produces little, or negative,
economic returns. The forces fragmenting and integrating competition are discussed.
Students Prepare
Case: Volvo Trucks (A): Penetrating the U.S. Market (9-702-418)
Reading: On Competition, Chapters 8, 9
Assignment Questions
1.How structurally attractive is the heavy truck industry?
2.What is Volvo's international strategy, and how does it compare to those of major competitors?
3.Evaluate Volvo's approach to penetrating the U.S. market. Why haven't previous efforts proven very
successful?
4.What should Volvo Trucks do in 2000?
Lecture by Prof. Sölvell
- Global strategy: issues of configuration and coordination
- Creating global competitive advantages (potential of global scale and synergies)
- Forces of integration and fragmentation in global competition
- Entry and penetration strategy of Volvo. The WBMH ‘radio’model (WHY entry? What does the company
BRING? What does the company MEET in the host market? And HOW does the company go abut
entering/penetrating the market?)
- A learning process and adjustment (changed strategy)
Now, when students have a deeper understanding of Global strategies (Volvo, Intel) the stage is set to
analyze internationalization of firms based in weaker microeconomic environments. Two cases from Latin
America are compared.
Students Prepare
Case: Atlas Electrica: International Strategy
Case: AFP Provida
Assignment Questions
1.How was Atlas able to successfully internationlize? How did they go about it?
2.What are the main strategic challenges facing Atlas today? How should it continue its internationalization?
3.How has Provida been able to become a leading international pension services provider?
4.What strategic recommendations would you make to the company in 1999?
5.Compare the internationalization approaches of the two companies. What are the lessons for companies
based in developing countries? What are the lessons for government?
Lecture by Prof. Porter
- Internationalization from developing countries
- Alternative models of internationalization
7
Rev. 03-01-13
Module 2 – The Microeconomic Business Environment
Module two deals with the fundamentals of the microeconomic business environment, and covers both
advanced and emerging/transition economies.
Session one puts its focus on the Facsimile industry and how the Japanese took world leadership. The
United States was an early mover but the Japanese Diamond turned out to be much stronger. In effect,
many technologies were sourced by Japanese firms from the United States in the earlier years.
Students Prepare
Case: The Japanese Facsimile Industry in 1990 (9-391-209)
Optional reading: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 in Porter, M.E., Takeuchi, H., Sakakibara, M. (2000) Can Japan
Compete? Cambridge: Perseus Publishing.
Review Chapter 6 from On Competition.
Assignment Questions
1.Why did companies based in Japan come to dominate the world facsimile machine industry? What led to
leadership shifting from Matsushita to Ricoh to Sharp/Murata?
2.Why did U.S. firms, where the technology was invented, lose out in this industry? How does the facsimile
case differ from microprocessors, where the United States is leader?
3.What are the threats to Japan's success in the industry in the new century?
4.What are the lessons of this case for government policy to enhance competitiveness? What works? What
does not work?
Lecture by Prof. Porter
- Sources of competitiveness
- From comparative advantage to competitive advantage
- Determinants of productivity
- The Diamond model
- Role of Innovation
- Role of government
In the next session a comparison is made between two emerging countries, Estonia and Chile. Focus is on
the Diamond model, but policy choices (macros and micro) are also discussed.
Students Prepare
Case: Chile (9-798-092). Read the Chile case for comparison to Estonia.
Case: Estonia in Transition (9-702-436)
Assignment Questions
1.How has Estonia done so well compared to most other transition countries?
What policy choices were critical?
How was Estonia able to advance so rapidly?
2.Compare Estonia's economic strategy since the early 1990s with Chile's development approach. Compare
the policy choices of the two countries in terms of macro, micro, and international trade and investment.
3.What are the issues facing Estonia in 2002?
4.What recommendations would you make to Estonia's leaders?
8
Rev. 03-01-13
Lecture by Prof. Sölvell
- From factor to investment to innovation driven economies
Guest speaker, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Toomas Ilves, Estonia
-
Estonia in transition
The legacy of Estonia
Main issues facing the nation in 2002
The role of accession to EU
Relationships with Russia
The next session puts the spotlight on clusters, what they are and how they function. The California case is
used to illustrate the process of upgrading, and the Australian case to illustrate international success. Both
countries are ‘new entrants’ in a world market with entrenched brands from France, Italy and Spain.
Students Prepare
Case: The California Wine cluster (9-799-124)
Case: Global Wine and The Australian Challenge (9-302-113)
Reading: On Competition, Chapter 7
Assignment Questions
1.Why has California emerged as one of the leading wine-producing regions in the world?
2.How was California able to upgrade from producing low-quality wines to a dominant focus on premium
wines over the last two decades?
3.What is California's competitive position versus France, Italy, and Chile?
4.How has Australia been able to emerge as a leading wine-exporting nation?
5.What steps are necessary to sustain and upgrade California's position? What should companies do?
Collective organizations? The California Government? The Federal Government?
Lecture by Prof. Sölvell
-
Why does economic activity agglomerate?
What is a cluster? And how do clusters work?
The rise and fall of clusters!
Successful clusters are linked to world markets!
While firms, government entities, and universities have a well-known influence on competitiveness, a wide
variety of other organizations can significantly influence it as well. These institutions for collaboration (IFCs)
include, for example, chambers of commerce, industry associations, professional associations, trade unions,
technology transfer organizations, quality centers, competitiveness councils, think tanks, university alumni
associations, and others. IFCs, which tend to be more prevalent and diverse in advanced economies than in
developing economies, play a variety of roles. In this session, two case studies will serve as a foundation for
understanding how IFCs affect competitiveness and development.
Students Prepare
Case: Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique
Case: Acplásticos
Assignment Questions
1. What role has the Asociación Colombiana de Industrias Plásticos (Acoplásticos) played in the
competitiveness of the Colombian plastics cluster? How has the role of Acoplásticos changed since the early
1980s?
9
Rev. 03-01-13
2. What role has the Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) played in the
competitiveness of the affected Swiss industries? How has CSEM's role evolved? Is it effective? What
strategic recommendations would you make to CSEM leadership in early 2002?
3. Why do institutions for collaboration exist in market economies? Why can't their activities be performed as
effectively by firms or by government entities?
4. Why might the incidence, role, and effectiveness of institutions for collaboration differ in advanced
economies vs. developing economies?
Lecture by Prof. Willis Emmons
- The multitude of IFCs
- Different roles of IFCs in improving the microeconomic environment
- IFCs in advanced and developing economies
The next session focuses on cluster evolution in a developing economy. The case is on Costa Rica and a
major investment made by Intel in 1996. The students are familiar with the company and technology (session
two) and have an understanding of clusters from the preceding session.
Students Prepare
Case: Building a Cluster: electronics and Information Technology in Costa Rica
Assignment Questions
1. Why might President Figueres have concluded that a new economic strategy for Costa Rica was
necessary?
2. What led President Figueres to believe that electronics and information technology represented an §
opportunity for Costa Rica?
3. Why was Intel interested in a Latin American plant?
4. Why did Intel choose Costa Rica?
5. Given Intel's decision, what should the Costa Rican government do next?
Lecture by Prof. Porter
- Clusters in developing economies – part of the value chain
- Role of government
- Building clusters is a long-term process
- What multinational corporations are looking for in emerging economies
Guest speaker, former President of Costa Rica, Jose-Maria Figueres
- The story of Costa Rica in the 1990s
- Attracting Intel to Costa Rica
10
Rev. 03-01-13
Module 3 – Nations and Regions
The third module illustrates different levels of policymaking, covering cross-border regions (Central America),
the nation (Singapore), and a sub-national region (Connecticut).
The first session illustrates a country with a heavy-handed government. The main issue is whether
Singapore can upgrade from an investment driven stage to really become an innovation driven economy.
Again, issues related to legacy and geographical location are added to the analysis of policy choices. Also,
the Diamond and the process of upgrading of factors, demand etc. is at the center of analysis.
Students Prepare
Case: Singapore (9-793-096)
Additional data covering the period 1992-2002
1.How did the Singapore economy perform between 1992 and 2002?
2.Explain what happened and why using the concepts discussed in the course.
Assignment Questions
1.What was Singapore's competitive position at independence in 1965? Why did Lee Kuan Yew quickly
abandon his initial economic development strategy?
2.What was Singapore's economic development strategy between independence and the late 1970s? Why
was it successful?
3.How did the strategy shift in the late 1970s? Why was Singapore able to sustain its success?
4.How well did the Singapore economy perform between 1992 and 2002? Why? What changes in economic
strategy were adopted?
5.What are the economic challenges Singapore is facing in 2002? What changes should Minister Yeo
recommend to the Prime Minister?
Guest speaker, Mr. George Yeo, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore
- Building a successful Singapore
- The role of the region
- Future challenges
This next session looks at issues of building a strategy for a cross-border region, in this case the Central
American region, encompassing seven nations. The efforts of the region of creating a unified body is put in a
historical perspective. The U.N.-led CACOM model of import substitution is compared with the regional
initiatives taken in the 1990s focusing on a microeconomic agenda.
Students Prepare
Case: Central America: Strategy for Economic Integration
Assignment questions
1. Why is a regional strategy needed in Central America?
2. Why was the Central American Common Market (CACM) not successful or sustainable?
3. How is the new regional strategy different from CACM? What benefits for competitiveness can it achieve?
4. Why was the new initiative able to make considerable progress in the second half of the 1990s?
5. What are the issues facing the regional initiative in 2002? What are the implications of a free trade
agreement with the United States? What should the Central American heads of state do next?
Guest speaker, Mr. Enrique Bolanõs, President of Nicaragua
- The Central American Agenda
- Recent negotiations with the United States on a free trade agreement
11
Rev. 03-01-13
The following session puts its focus on a State within the United States, Connecticut. The state had been the
most prosperous state for about four decades, but faced increasing poverty rates and unemployment in the
1990s. The case is used to illustrate political choices, but more importantly the political process by which
microeconomic policies were implemented and sustained.
Students Prepare
Case: The State of Connecticut: Strategy for Economic Development
Optional reading: Clusters of Innovation: Regional Foundations of U.S. Competitiveness.
Assignment Questions
1.Why did Connecticut become the most prosperous U.S. state and sustain its position for so long?
2.What were the issues facing Connecticut as it came out of the deep recession beginning in the late 1980s?
3.Why didn't the first economic development effort under Governor Weicker take hold?
4.How did Governor Rowland's strategy differ? Why did it get more traction?
5.Why did some clusters progress faster?
6.What are the issues facing Connecticut in 2000? What should Governor Rowland do next?
Guest speaker, Mr. Rowland, Governor of Connecticut
- The process of building cluster initiatives
- How Connecticut got into traction
12
Rev. 03-01-13
Module 4 – Cluster Projects
Background
A central part of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness course is the team project on a chosen country.
The aim of the country projects is for students to apply the concepts and frameworks presented in the course
to a particular case, under the supervision of an experienced instructor. The projects will also develop
knowledge about microeconomic competitiveness in an array of countries that will add to the body of course
materials over time.
Team Formation
Projects will be carried out by teams of four to five students. Teams will be self-selected, but with assistance
from the faculty to ensure the placement of all students. Each team will select a country, and one cluster
within that country, for in-depth analysis.
Topics To Be Addressed
The team project will address the following areas:
Overall Economic Performance
Macro performance (e.g. GDP, productivity, inflation, currency, fiscal stability, employment)
Micro performance (e.g. trade, FDI, education, patents, clusters, GCR survey data)
Assessment of Overall Business Environment and Policy
Old legacy (e.g. culture, language, religion, general institutions)
Regional position and interaction (geography)
Policy choices
Macro policies (monetary, stabilization)
Micro policy choices (structural, liberalization, competition, privatization, education, S&T, cluster,
demand)
General Diamond (microeconomic business environment)
In-depth Analysis of a Cluster
History of cluster (different phases)
The cluster today (actors, specialized institutions, IFCs)
Cluster Diamond (the four drivers – levels of dynamism)
Identification of Strategic Issues
Parts of the diamond
Policies in place
Policy Recommendations
National government/regional/local government
Private sector, universities, trade associations
Institutions for collaboration
Team Presentations
Team presentations will take place during module 4. Teams will prepare a 20-minute Powerpoint
presentation. Slides should source quantitative information and be formatted so as to be clearly legible when
printed in black and white.
Final Report
Based on the feedback from the presentation sessions, each team will prepare a final written report. The final
report should be submitted in both hard copy and electronic form. The report can incorporate slides from the
Powerpoint presentation as exhibits if desired. The following guidelines apply to the final report:
13
Rev. 03-01-13
1. All reports will be double-spaced in 12-point type and should not exceed 30 pages including all tables,
exhibits, references etc. Pages should be numbered consecutively.
2. Sources should be provided for all quantitative data and exhibits. References should be embedded in
the text, i.e. (Porter, 1998). A bibliography should be included at the end of the report using the following
format:
References:
Porter, M., E. (1998). On Competition. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Singhvi, L. (1999). “Venture Capital Industry in India: an Agenda for Growth”. Paper
Presented at Asia/Pacific Research Center Conference on Accessing Venture Capital
in India, Stanford University.
Footnotes should be used to further clarify points and to reference interviews and web sources.
A title page should be included which contains the report title, the names of the students on the team,
and date.
Color graphics should be designed to be legible when the report is printed in black and white.
The report should begin with a one-page executive summary.
Permissions
Each team will be asked to give permission to the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the use of
their final report in the preparation of teaching materials and in ongoing research. Any such use of team
output will involve appropriate attribution to the team.
Selected country data resources on the web
Globally active organizations
IMF: http://www.imf.org/external/country/index.htm
The World Bank: http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/regions.htm
UN statistics: http://www.un.org/Depts/unsd/gs_intstat.htm
UNDP: http://www.undp.org/hdr2001/indicator/
UNCTAD/WTO ITC: http://www.intracen.org/menus/countries.htm
UNCTAD World Investment Report: http://www.unctad.org/wir/contents/wir01content.en.htm
Regional organizations
OECD:http://www.oecd.org/oecd/pages/home/displaygeneral/0,3380,EN-countrylist-0-nodirectorateno-no-159-0,FF.html
Asian Development Bank: http://www.adb.org/Countries/default.asp
UN ESC for Asia: http://unescap.org/stat/statdata/apinfig.htm
UN ECLAC (Latin America): http://www.eclac.org/estadisticas/default.asp?idioma=IN
African Development Bank: http://www.afdb.org/african_countries/home_country.htm
EBRD: http://www.ebrd.com/english/pubs/index.htm
Other links
http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/e/eiucdata.html
http://lib.harvard.edu/e-resources/details/c/countrep.html
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/resources/country_intelligence.html
http://surveys.ft.com/
http://www.tradeport.org/ts/countries/
Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness
http://www.isc.hbs.edu
14