Avakov s Quality of Life is far more complete other statistical publications. This year, the number of countries/territories with data about GDP and GDP per capita is increased to 254. The number of countries with population data is increased to...

Avakov s Quality of Life is far more complete other statistical publications. This year, the number of countries/territories with data about GDP and GDP per capita is increased to 254. The number of countries with population data is increased to 271. Generally, the list includes independent states and dependent territories which have at least some population. The list of dependent territories is taken from various yearly editions of the CIA World Factbook and from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Dependent_territory. The list of independent states is trickier. Some in this category (like frozen conflict states of the former U.S.S.R. and Northern Cyprus) are recognized only by a handful of states. Extreme examples - Donetsk People s Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, and Somaliland - are not recognized by anybody. The standard used is the sovereignty doctrine, which does not require international recognition but requires the existence of separate governments and control over their territories. Official estimates of Russian military expenditures distributed by U.S. and British intelligence communities are methodologically flawed, claiming to show military expenditures of other countries at market exchange rates while they apparently cite Russian military expense figures at purchasing power parities, thus distorting the comparison. Such deceptive practices of the Anglo-American intelligence services are counter-balanced in this title by presenting two different tables, showing military expenditures estimates both at market exchange rates and by purchasing power parities. Policy-makers, the U.S. Congress, and others who care about the foundations of power politics in the nuclear age will find facts that speak for themselves in this novel yearbook.

This year, in the Introduction I provide a philosophical overview of the model used. There is a change in the way I calculate regressions for missing data. Before, I was using an adjustable regression model, in which the most statistically important variables were included in the models. Starting this year, I am using a standard model with fixed variables in the regressions. From this year on, I am using a standardized Freedom of the Press Index for calculation of the Civil and Political...

This year, in the Introduction I provide a philosophical overview of the model used. There is a change in the way I calculate regressions for missing data. Before, I was using an adjustable regression model, in which the most statistically important variables were included in the models. Starting this year, I am using a standard model with fixed variables in the regressions. From this year on, I am using a standardized Freedom of the Press Index for calculation of the Civil and Political Rights Index in order to minimize the effect of changes in the Reporters Without Borders calculation methodology for the Freedom of the Press Index. I have switched to the World Bank as the main source of population data. Also, this year, the number of countries/territories with data about GDP and GDP per capita is increased to 254. Generally, I include in my list independent states and dependent territories which have at least some population. The new additions in this section are the Aland Islands, Bonaire, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Donetsk People s Republic, Holy See, Luhansk People s Republic, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Sint Eustatius, and Somaliland. The number of countries with population data is increased to 271. They now include Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, Bouvet Island, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Coral Sea Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Jan Mayen, Midway Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and Wake Island. The list of dependent territories is taken from various yearly editions of the CIA World Factbook and from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Dependent_territory. The list of independent states is trickier. Some of the states that I have included in this category (like frozen conflict states of the former U.S.S.R. and Northern Cyprus), are recognized only by a handful of states. Extreme examples Donetsk People s Republic, Luhansk People s Republic, and Somaliland are not recognized by anybody. The standard used is the sovereignty doctrine, which does not require international recognition but requires the existence of separate governments and control over their territories (see, for example: https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states). I happen to think that some of the potential addressees of this book, such as international policy-makers, may be interested in exactly that hard-to-find data suggesting the economic potential of such states.