Research Library

At least a dozen countries, including the U.S., have suspended funding to the United Nations agency that delivers aid to Palestinian refugees. The cuts fit a long-time pattern of the politicization of refugee aid, write Nicholas R. Micinski and Kelsey Norman.

The city of Houston’s budget is at a tipping point. For five consecutive years, the city outspent its revenues by $100–$200 million each year. With stop-gap options drying up, city officials must plot out a more sustainable plan for the longer term. How did Houston find itself in this budgetary bind, and where must city officials go from here? 

Will Biden’s strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen prove effective? Fellow Joe Barnes lays out challenges facing the president as the Israel-Hamas war escalates.

Taiwan’s Jan. 13 elections saw voters assert an increasingly diverse and inclusive democratic identity. Allies and foes alike should take note, writes fellow Steven W. Lewis.

OPEC+ cuts — including additional voluntary cuts, most importantly by Saudi Arabia — look set to significantly tighten the oil market this year.

For research involving human embryos and other controversial subjects, science journals should require ethics statements from researchers detailing research oversight, what embryos were used, how many and for how long. This will help increase transparency and improve communication with the public, writes Science and Technology Policy Fellow Kirstin R.W. Matthews.

Will 2024 be another chaotic year in U.S. foreign policy? From Ukraine to the Israel-Hamas war, fellow Joe Barnes reviews the major challenges President Joe Biden faced in 2023 and what they could mean for the November election.

This testimony was delivered before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services and Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions at its hearing entitled “Restricting Rogue-State Revenue: Strengthening Energy Sanctions on Russia, Iran, and Venezuela” on Dec. 12, 2023.

The U.S. is facing a dire shortage of health care providers. Immigrants can help fill the gap, writes contributing author Shishir Shakya.

Health care costs in the U.S. have climbed dramatically in recent decades. Elevated prescription and premium prices have left more Americans at risk of being unable to afford basic health care services. Our experts discuss key factors leading to medical unaffordability and steps policymakers must take to address the issue.