Development Experience Clearinghouse-- From the U.S. Agency for International Development, which bills the site as "the largest online resource for USAID funded technical and program documentation, with over 59,800 documents available for electronic download." Also much information on U.S. foreign aid per se.

Development Gateway-- A major portal on development, with excellent general and country information, resources, and tools, designed for scholars and practitioners in specific sectors of developmental activity: "helps communities, organizations, and individuals build partnerships, share ideas, and work together to reduce poverty." Much information and analysis available by country, development activity area, and other categories. Note AiDA -- Accessible Information on Development Activities for "historical and current information on activities of the major international development donors and some civil society organizations and private foundations."

Directory of Development Organizations-- Comprehensive reference for development practitioners, researchers, donors, and policymakers interested in enterprise development and (non-) financial markets, particularly in developing countries. Lists thousands of individual contacts in organizations which offer support, information, and advice to the enterprise sectors in developing  countries, by region and category.

Focuss.info-- A high-quality and collaborative limited area search engine "for practitioners, researchers and students in the area of global development studies [that] indexes a specific choice of electronic resources, selected by librarians, researchers and practitioners working in participating institutions. The resources are selected based on their relevance for the development studies and the quality of the information."

Global Development Commons-- From the U.S. Agency for International Development, a collaborative best practices website "at the intersection of technology and international development" to allow "leading technology innovators and international development practitioners from around the world [to] share ideas to improve efforts to enrich the lives of the world's poor." "Seeks innovations to make knowledge more accessible and affordable to help people in developing countries solve social and economic problems."

Global System for Sustainable Development-- From MIT, excellent searchable, abstracted, and cross-referenced index to thousands of the best online resources on this topic.

Institute of Development Studies-- From the University of Sussex, England, maintains a Knowledge Services hub that comprises one of the world's leading sources for research, teaching and information on international development, offering a broad and excellent range of information systems and services. Note the excellent free IDS website guide in PDF, "A Good Place  to Start - The IDS Knowledge Services guide to finding development information online."
The components of IDS include:
1.  British Library for Development Studies, an online catalogue of Europe's largest library on international development
2.  Eldis, with the slogan "Sharing the best in development policy, practice and research," is a superlative directory and gateway to electronic information resources on development issues, with subject guides and dossiers, regional and country profiles, news feeds, e-mail bulletins and newsletters, and searchable database of thousands of papers online at its site or linked
3.  id21 Development Research Reporting Service, "selection of the latest and best UK-based development research"
4.  BRIDGE, an information and analysis service on development and gender
5.  Governance and Social Development Resource Centre aims to help reduce poverty by informing policymaking and enhancing professional knowledge in relation to governance, conflict, and social development. Note especially the document library, "an up to date collection of the most credible publications available on governance, conflict, and social development issues."

SD Gateway-- Indispensable, top-rate entry point to a wealth of online information from some of the world's leading sustainable development institutes, members of the Sustainable Development Communications Network.

Studying-Development.org-- "Initiative set up by a small group of former London School of Economics development students. Our aim is to provide an easy to use online directory to courses in international development... to help orientate those wishing to enter, or already active in the field of International Development. This directory is international in scope and covers professional training, as well as university degree courses."

World Wide Web Virtual Library on Sustainable Development-- A comprehensive list of  sites dealing with sustainable development, including organizations, projects, activities, electronic journals, libraries, references, documents, databases, and directories.

• Asian Development Bank-- Information about the economic and social progress of developing countries in Asia and the Pacific, from this development finance institution. Some online publications are available.

• Bank Information Center-- An "independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that provides information and strategic support to NGOs and social movements throughout the world on the projects, policies and practices of the World Bank and other Multilateral Development Banks." Much practical information, plus links.

• Canadian International Development Agency-- Canada's official development promotion agency, "to support sustainable development in developing countries in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world." Much information on development issues, countries, and Canadian development aid policy and activities.

• Center for Global Development-- Research institute "dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality through policy-oriented research and active engagement on development issues with the policy community and the public." Site offers working papers, policy briefs, articles, opinion pieces, data sources, news and commentary, the Commitment to Development Index, and more.

• Cities Alliance-- "Global coalition of cities and their development partners committed to scaling up successful approaches to poverty reduction," sponsored by the World Bank and other organizations. Offers news items, newsletter, annual report, analytical publications, discussions of best practices, and city evaluation and action strategies.

• Communication for Development-- From the Natural Resources Management and Environment Department of the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization, "communication processes and media to help rural people to exchange experiences, find common ground for collaboration and actively participate in and manage agricultural and rural development activities." Site contains many  resources on this topic.

• Compendium: A Global Directory to Indicator Initiatives-- This site, by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Environment Canada, and the International Sustainability Indicators Network, provides an overview of initiatives on sustainable development indicators being carried out at the international, national, and provincial/territorial/state levels, "a worldwide directory of who is doing what in the field of sustainability indicators."

• Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity-- Co-ordinated from the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex "to develop and encourage the application of knowledge to improve access to basic education... [with] a programme of research focused on countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa to analyse policy and practice designed to reduce exclusion." Offers reports, information, bibliographic database, and more. Note especially the CREATE Gateway that "provides links to resources related to access issues in education."

• Country Indicators for Foreign Policy--  High-quality project between Carleton University and the Canadian government to develop "a number of wide-ranging tools that encompass, among other things, the monitoring, forecasting, and evaluation of failed and fragile states, as well as the assessment of supporting policies intended to address the development, security, and economic challenges they represent." Site posts Governance and Democracy Handbook, data, and many insightful reports and methodologies relevant to governance and democracy processes, conflict risk assessment, and fragile and failed states.

• Department for International Development-- "The part of the UK Government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty." Posts news, country profiles, case studies, research reports.

• Development Executive Group (Devex)-- Social enterprise providing free recruiting services and business information for the international development community, with a network of international development professionals, development news, career advice, business advice, and project notices from donor agencies.

• Development Initiatives-- "Aims to give easy access to a wide range of information on poverty, aid, & cooperation," from "an independent organisation concerned with poverty, aid, development cooperation and international relations." Note the newsletter Development Information Update.

• Freedom House-- Many online studies ranking countries on measures of freedom (including press freedom), informative backgrounders, and other publications are offered by this nonprofit, nonpartisan U.S. organization dedicated to promoting democracy around the world. Note especially their extensive yearly online report Freedom in the World.

• Gapminder-- "Non-profit venture for development and provision of free software that visualise human development... in collaboration with universities, UN organisations, public agencies and non-governmental organisations." Features free software and interactive moving graphics to visualize facts, data, and trends in development measures.

• Global Development Network-- A worldwide collaborative initiative of development institutions, to generate and share knowledge, policy-oriented research, and techniques. Site has information on the project.

• Global Distribution of Poverty-- "The Global Poverty Mapping Project seeks to enhance current understanding of the global distribution of poverty and the geographic and biophysical conditions of where the poor live."  From the Center for International Earth Science Information Network of Columbia University. Site posts data sets, maps of poverty, studies, project methods, and Where the Poor Are: An Atlas of Poverty.

• Global Integrity-- "Generates, synthesizes, and disseminates credible, comprehensive and timely information on governance and corruption trends around the world... Our information is meant to serve simultaneously as a roadmap for engaged citizens, a reform checklist for policymakers, and a guide to the business climate for investors." Posts much insightful data and analysis. Note especially the Global Integrity Report and the Global Integrity Index.

• Human Security Report Project-- Research center funded by several Western governments and many private sources "to make human security-related research more accessible to the policy and research communities, the media, educators and the interested public." Produces the major annual Human Security Report, free online. Note also the "Human Security Gateway" (an online database of human security resources) and online bulletins.  Posts workshop reports, articles, and opinion pieces. Consult the miniAtlas of Human Security, a concise illustrated guide to global and regional trends in human insecurity.

• Innovations in Civic Participation-- "Works around the world to strengthen and develop policies and programs that focus on applying [youth] service as a solution to a wide range of social issues." Site posts information, analyses, and resources about and for youth service and civic engagement, especially in new democracies.

• Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First)-- "Analyzing the root causes of global hunger, poverty, and ecological degradation and developing solutions in partnership with movements working for social change," Food First posts development reports, fact sheets, policy briefs, and other forms of information on and analysis of the world's food producing and distribution processes and the social and environmental situations that accompany them.

• Inter-American Development Bank, Sustainable Development Department-- Excellent full-text publications on many sustainable development issues.

• International Development Research Centre-- A "public corporation created by the Canadian government to help communities in the developing world find solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems through research." This site provides full-text publications, research databases, project information, funding opportunities, and links.

• International Finance Cooporation-- Part of the World Bank Group, IFC is "the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world," with special interest in sustainable private sector development. The site posts many papers and reports on global and regional aspects of sustainable private sector development.

• International Institute for Environment and Development-- Aims "to promote sustainable patterns of world development through collaborative research, policy studies, networking and knowledge dissemination," especially on major global issues. Many reports, policy and issue papers, and newsletters available free in PDF format.

• International Institute for Sustainable Development-- IISD's mission is to promote sustainable development in decision making, internationally and within Canada. Many online resources.

• International Monetary Fund Publications-- Extensive search facility for IMF titles, many of which appear in full text, although some must be ordered. Note the quarterly journal Finance and Development. Country Information provides access to online economic and financial information and analysis reports for many countries.

• International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth-- "Supported by the Poverty Practice, Bureau for Development Policy, UNDP and the Government of Brazil... to facilitate South-South learning in development solutions by fostering policy dialogue; carrying out policy-oriented research; as well as conducting training and evaluation." Posts working papers, policy research briefs, issues of Poverty In Focus magazine, one pagers and country studies.

• MEASURE DHS-- "Has provided technical assistance to more than 200 surveys in 75 countries, advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries... to improve and institutionalize the collection and use of data by host countries for program monitoring and evaluation and for policy development decisions." Posts a large publications database, country and topical data, and data from the surveys, with several user-generated online comparison facilities.

• Millenium Development Goals Monitor-- A UN-initiative site to show "how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals... designed as a tool for policymakers, development practitioners, journalists, students and others to track progress through interactive maps and country-specific profiles, learn about countries' challenges and achievements, get the latest news, [and] support organizations working on the MDGs around the world."

• Report on the World Social Situation-- Biennial report from the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, "contributing to the identification of emerging social trends of international concern and to the analysis of relationships among major development issues which have both international and national dimensions." Full current report and past ones are available online.

• Save the Children-- Nonprofit organization that works in the U.S. and many developing countries "to help children and families improve their health, education and economic opportunities" and also mobilizes "rapid life-support assistance for children and families caught in the tragedies of natural and man-made disasters." Note their fine annual online State of the World's Mothers report.

• Social Watch-- "International network informed by national citizens' groups aiming at following up the fulfillment of the internationally agreed commitments on poverty eradication and equality. These national groups report, through the national Social Watch Report[s], on the progress - or regression- towards these commitments and goals." Posts the annual global Social Watch Reports and many other publications and occasional papers.

• South Centre-- An intergovernmental organization of  developing countries in Geneva, Switzerland, dedicated to providing policy analysis support for equitable development for the global South, and greater South-South co-operation. Policy papers, studies, and newsletter online.

• Third World Network-- Reports and angles on development issues from the perspectives of the developing countries, from an independent non-profit international network of organizations and individuals involved in issues relating to development, the Third World, and North- South issues. Fine site covering many issues, with numerous publications online and links to others off-site.

• Trade Observatory-- From the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (USA),  Trade Observatory monitors and analyzes globalization, global trade policy, inequities in the global trade system (particularly in the World Trade Organization), and sustainable development issues. Hundreds of free documents and several newsletters are available.

• Trade and Environment Database-- An inventory of cases on the impacts of trade on environment, culture, and other issues, from the American University. Each case is coded on many different criteria and accompanied by a written report. The coded material in the cases can be sorted to help with case selection.

• Transparency International-- "The global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption...[with a mission] to create change towards a world free of corruption... by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement, raising awareness and diminishing apathy and tolerance of corruption, as well as devising and implementing practical actions to address it." TI's many excellent online corruption surveys, indices, working papers, and reports analyze and rank countries "in terms of the degree to which they are perceived to be the homes of... public officials who abuse their office for personal gain."

• UNESCO Water Portal-- "Intended to enhance access to information related to freshwater available on the World Wide Web. The site provides links to the current UNESCO and UNESCO-led programmes on freshwater and will serve as an interactive point for sharing, browsing and searching websites of water-related organizations, government bodies and NGOs, including a range of categories such as water links, water events, learning modules and other on-line resources." Note as well UNESCO's World Water Assessment Program.

• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)-- This U.N. agency "protects children and their rights by providing services and supplies and by helping shape policy agendas and budgets in the best interests of children." UNICEF compiles and publishes information on the situation of children, performance of countries in caring for children, protection of children's rights, and its programs for children. Many publications are online about development as it affects children, such as the annual The State of the World's Children.

• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development-- "UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues." Site posts major development studies in summary or full-text, basic documents, and newsletters. Check out the many UNCTAD program subsites.

• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)-- Describes UNIFEM's work, and that of others, to promote women's empowerment and gender equality by providing "financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promote women's human rights, political participation and economic security." Offers online publications on women's issues around the world.

• United Nations Development Programme-- Promotes sustainable human development by assisting countries to build their capacity to design and carry out development programs in poverty eradication, employment creation and sustainable livelihoods, empowerment of women, and protection and regeneration of the environment. Online reports and statistics are available in great quantity. See the annual Human Development Report, an excellent comprehensive guide to global human development, with analyses of major issues, updated Human Development Indicators that compare the relative levels of human development of over 175 countries, and an agenda to help transform development priorities. Much of the report is available online, plus links to regional and national HDI reports.

• United Nations Development-- From the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, covering a wide range of developmental and environmental issues. Millennium Development Goals discusses and provides national and regional statistics from 1990 onward on the eight Millennium Development Goals that were adopted in 2000 by a consensus of experts from the United Nations Secretariat, the IMF, OECD, and the World Bank. E-learning materials "have been designed to help learners explore the MDGs [and to] guide participants through using the international data service ESDS International and provide learners with an increased understanding of... the potential of that data for use in their own research or teaching."

• United Nations Research Institute for Social Development-- UNRISD attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations, and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social, and environmental change affect different social groups. Online reports and forum.

• U.N. Women Watch-- Women Watch is a gateway to U.N. information and data on women worldwide and a forum on global women's issues, to provide up to date information on the U.N.'s work on behalf of the women of the world, track the global agenda for improving the status of women, and constitute an electronic space for exchange of information and ideas on women's issues.

• U.S. Agency for International Development-- Extensive development information, reports, and links from AID, the U.S. government agency that provides economic development and humanitarian assistance to advance U.S. economic and political interests overseas.

• World Bank Group sources:
            This ultrarich, highly searchable megasite contains texts, statistics, and images of thousands of recent World Bank Reports on development. The News and Broadcast Page is a helpful stop. Good access points for economic research reports online are the Data and Research, Documents and Reports, and Documents Search pages. Publications and databases are available on the Development Data and Statistics page.  Also see the data and analysis available at the Countries and Regions page. The Key Development Data and Statistics page presents "the most widely-used, official-source development data from the World Bank and other international agencies." Data by Topic presents country data on many variables. Data from and information on use of the Living Standards Measurement Study household surveys in developing countries are available online. Also see the Prospects for Development, Research, and Topics in Development pages for many other World Bank reports.
            The Bank has interfaced Google Maps with World Bank data "to give you a visual entry point to browse projects, news, statistics and public information center by country."
            The DevForum is a medium for dialogue and knowledge-sharing among members of the development community. The World Bank Annual Report is online. The World Development Report is an excellent annual series of reports from the World Bank on major development issues; current and recent Reports are online in full text. Also consult World Development Indicators, "the World Bank's premier annual compilation of data about development." PovertyNet provides a very useful and large directory for World bank reports and data on poverty around the world. Gender and Development highlights projects, programs, publications, policy, news, and events concerning women's issues.   GenderStats is "an electronic database of gender statistics and indicators designed with user-friendly, menu-driven features," with data by country and category.
           The Beyond Transition Newsletter "covers the key policy issues and policy processes in the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia, offers analyses and lessons across countries, and presents interdisciplinary work in fields such as economics, law, and politics." Poverty Reduction Strategies describes a new approach to enhance the poverty-reduction effects of national actions and development assistance. It includes an overview of the framework, key documents, Poverty Reduction Source Book, country indicators and data sets, an online library, a Web guide to resources, and a newsletter. The Knowledge for Development Program "helps build the capacity of client countries to access and use knowledge to strengthen their competitiveness in the global economy and increase their social well-being."
            The large World Bank Governance and Anti-Corruption website explains the work of the Bank in supporting countries in improving governance and controlling corruption and makes available publications, data, resources, program information, and a calendar of events on those topics. Note particularly the "Governance Matters" series of studies and indicators.

• World Resources Institute-- A policy research center striving to address how societies can meet basic human needs and promote economic growth without undermining natural resources and environmental integrity. This excellent and major site has a large number of full-text searchable studies and other resources online (such as databanks), by location and subject. Read their World Resources Report online. EarthTrends is an excellent portal on environmental matters, with large searchable databases, data tables, country profiles, maps, and feature articles, all by topical sections. The insightful EarthTrends Poverty Resource "explores the dimensions of human well-being through a combination of maps, datasets, resources, and short articles on the linkages between poverty and the environment," with country profiles.

• Worldwatch Institute--  Informs policymakers and the public about emerging global problems and trends and the complex links between the world economy and its environmental support systems, with the motto "independent research for an environmentally sustainable and socially just society." Free and paid downloads of reports and articles. Among other features, note the Research Library and Vital Signs Online (a "compilation of significant global trends in 10 categories").