Research Library

NAFTA has neither been the enormous success that its supporters believe, nor the disaster that its detractors claim. Renegotiating NAFTA — or even threatening to repeal it — is not a high-stakes proposition. The treaty simply does not possess the leverage to deliver a major boost or setback to the U.S. manufacturing sector. 

An intrinsic element of Mexico's 2013-2014 energy reform was the promise that transfers of technology required to exploit the country's hydrocarbons would take place. This paper analyzes the extent to which this has actually happened and proposes policies that could foster innovation in the energy sector in Mexico.

As China continues to open up to the transnational circulation of labor, ideas, technology and capital under globalization, one must wonder: will Chinese society’s more cosmopolitan and transnational groups continue to be guided by guanxi, the system of social networks and influential relationships that facilitate business and other dealings?

As a result of the 2013 energy reform, oil and gas companies completing projects in Mexico must now meet mandatory requirements to utilize local goods and services suppliers. The authors analyze the legislative framework in place to enforce the local content requirement and the economic implications of the policy.

Authors Tony Payan and Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera lay out how Mexico must anticipate and resolve potential problems in organized crime, corruption and natural resource allocation priorities in order to successfully implement its energy reforms.

This paper argues that the Texas social studies curriculum does not offer balanced coverage of world religions, due in large part to intervention by conservative members of the Texas State Board of Education. The paper identifies examples of imbalanced coverage in social studies texts and offers recommendations for broadening coverage of religion in Texas public schools.

Mexico Center director Tony Payan considers whether citizens and the government should together combat organized crime in Mexico.

Using a public health approach to study drug-related murders on the U.S.-Mexico border, the authors conclude the region is experiencing a "violence epidemic."

Constitutional reforms approved in 2013 offered a historic opportunity to restructure Mexico’s anemic telecommunications sector. While the original reform initiative seemed to address key problems at the root of the dysfunctional system, it is not clear if the secondary laws will have positive social impact — or if the lion’s share of benefits will go to a minority of investors.

Is there an immigration crisis? Considering recent apprehensions of unauthorized immigrants in the context of what has happened over the last 10 years, the data are inconsistent with an immigration crisis — at least a generalized immigration crisis.