Finding Foreign Direct Investment and Import/Export Data

Milner Library subscribes to two databases that contain data on foreign direct investment and imports/exports: SourceOECD and the Global Market Information Database (GMID). SourceOECD covers selected countries, while the GMID covers most countries. In both databases, you will build a statistical table based on the parameters you choose. This handout outlines the process in both databases.

SourceOECD

At the Milner Library web site (www.library.ilstu.edu) from the list under find articles on your topic, select SourceOECD. (Note: SourceOECD does not cover all countries)

At the top of the screen, click on the Statistics tab.

In the frame on the left, highlight OECD Database; a list of topics will appear in a dialog box. Select International Direct Investment.

Scroll down to the end of the abstract and click on the Deliver data button.

You must select a REPORTING COUNTRY (an OECD member country) - the table will show inflows from the partner country or countries into the reporting country and outflows to the partner country or countries from the reporting country.

To build the data table, select the category of variable from the left frame and then select the desired variables from the list offered in the right frame:

The default starting point is TIME PERIOD - select the year(s) desired by clicking in the box to the left of the year

From TYPE OF DATA select Inflows and Outflows

From PARTNER COUNTRY select one or more countries or regions (Note: there may be data for individual countries within a region but not for the region as a whole)

From CURRENCY select submitted currency and/or US dollars - submitted currency is the local currency of the reporting country

From REPORTING COUNTRY select one country.

Select View as Table to see the results

To change a variable in the table, click on the column header and revise your selections, then click on View as Table to see the revised data.

You can print the table or download it into Excel, using the icons at the top of the screen. 

There is also data available by industrial sector.

Global Market Information Database (Euromonitor)

At the Milner Library web site (www.library.ilstu.edu) from the list under Find articles on your topic, select the Global Market Information Database

In the left frame, under SEARCH COUNTRIES click on Economic Indicators to open the menu in the center frame

Open Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by clicking on the + sign to the left of the words
    Select Foreign Direct Investment Inflows (by clicking on the box to the left of the words)
    Select Foreign Direct Investment outflows (also by clicking its box)

Notice that your selections appear in a list in the right frame, to confirm your choices

Open Foreign Trade by clicking on the + sign to the left of the words
    Open Exports (click on the + sign)
       Select Exports (fob) by destination (click in the box)
       Or, open that category and select trading partners
    Open Imports (click on the + sign)
       Select Imports (cif) by origin (click in the box)
       Or, open that category and select trading partners

Click on NEXT at the bottom of the screen

Select the geographic area: select a region by clicking the box, or click on the + sign to open a list of countries in the region and select the country or countries under study

Click on Run Search at the bottom of the screen to see the results

Click on VIEW ALL STATISTICS for all the data in one table
    Or, select the data to be displayed

You can also view the Reports or Comment listed on the search results screen

Data for the years 2001-2006 will be displayed

Using the menus in the frame on the left of the screen, you can:
    change the time series;
    change the currency (local currency, US$, yen, Euro, etc.);
    change the value of currency (constant, current value, etc.); or
    show growth during the period under study

You can also export the data table into Excel, to permit manipulation, such as discarding data for years not under consideration.

You can print or save the data table.