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SOCL 331: Global Sociology (BMC)

Professor D. Sorge, Fall 2023

Country research

BBC Country Profiles
Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions. They also include audio and video clips from BBC archives.

CIA World Fact Book This link opens in a new window
Provides detailed profiles of all of the countries of the world. Offers information on each country's geography, people, government, economy, communications, military, and transnational issues, as well as maps and flag images. Covers 2000 - present in PDF; current interactive edition is continually updated.

International Monetary Fund Country Profiles
Browse IMF reports by country and territory.

Statista: The Leading Statistics Portal
Particularly the Country and region Reports.

UN Human Development Reports
Country profiles from the United Nations Development Programme describe the state of various international human development indicators in each country.
World Population Review

Cities and urbanization

Britannica Online
This is a good place to start learning about a city that is not familiar to you. Be sure to investigate the related resources.

Connecting Cities for Growth (World Bank Blog, 2013)
Focus on South Asia
Flow space reveals the urban network structure and development mode of cities in Liaoning, China
Tian, S., Jiang, J., Li, H. et al. Flow space reveals the urban network structure and development mode of cities in Liaoning, China. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 10, 257 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-01752-5
How to learn all about a new city without leaving your house (Lifehacker)
How to study a city and its elements? Rethinking the Future
World's population increasingly urban... (United Nations, 2014)
Yet another tale of two cities: Buenos Aires and Chicago
Campante, F., Glaeser, E.L. Yet another tale of two cities: Buenos Aires and Chicago. Latin American Economic Review 27, 2 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40503-017-0052-7
11 Mega-projects that will transform the world's greatest cities by 2035

News & reports

News Sources
by Karen Viars Last Updated Feb 26, 2025 2265 views this year

Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Researcher
Original reporting and analysis on issues in the news, focusing on the economy, education, the environment, health, international affairs, social trends, and technology. Published weekly, 1991-present.

Philadelphia resources