Research Library

Harris County faces growing budgetary headwinds that demand clearer financial disclosure. A new Center for Tax and Budget Policy report by Bill King, Joyce Beebe, John W. Diamond, and Randall Rice explores how improvements to the budgeting process could strengthen transparency and support long-term fiscal planning.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Abhi Rajendran and Skip York explore what the oil market’s response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz reveals about the shifting foundations of global oil.

Six years after taking power, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said has overseen economic reform in Oman while maintaining its role as an international mediator. In a new brief for the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East, Annelle Sheline analyzes the country’s transformation.

Can foreign assistance strengthen influence, counter strategic competitors, secure allies, or build markets? Drawing on interviews with senior national security practitioners and a review of the evidence, Victoria Jupp and Sonali Korde move beyond the question of whether foreign assistance works to identify which investments generate the greatest returns for U.S. national security and economic interests — and under what conditions.

In this episode of “The Two-Handed Economist,” John W. Diamond and Bill King discuss the 2026 Social Security Trust Fund report, examining the program’s long-term financial outlook, the history of past reforms, and policy options for addressing demographic and fiscal challenges.

In 2025, Kuwait announced significant plans to expand energy production and investment; however, institutional barriers may complicate implementation. In this Middle East Energy Roundtable report, Zalma Tohow, Ana Martín Gil, Jim Krane, and Kristian Coates Ulrichsen analyze legal and regulatory challenges and offer strategic recommendations for advancing Kuwait's energy objectives.

Why is building a working price for critical minerals so difficult? In a new working paper, Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes argues that pricing depends on first separating adversary-controlled supply chains from other producers through a consistent, control-based definition of adversarial capital.

In this episode of “The Energy Forum,” Rachel A. Meidl speaks with Natalie Messer Betts of the Recycled Materials Association (REMA) about the growing global challenge of discarded electronics, examining lifecycle impacts, reuse and refurbishment, and the policy and design changes needed to support more circular systems.

In this episode, Ambassador David M. Satterfield speaks with David W. Leebron about the U.S. Supreme Court’s current term, examining what recent decisions reveal about the evolution of the Roberts Court and what these developments could mean for public confidence in the nation’s highest court.

In this episode, David A. Gantz and Simon Lester examine the upcoming 2026 USMCA review process, discussing the negotiating priorities of the United States, Mexico, and Canada and the political and economic pressures that will shape the agreement’s next phase.