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?
As more and more Texans switch from gas- to battery-powered vehicles, state policymakers are grappling with the implications of broader electric vehicle ownership. From infrastructure investments, roadway maintenance, and levying a new tax for EV owners, this discussion breaks down the key issues surrounding EVs and consider legislation policymakers in Texas may consider this session.
David M. Satterfield, John W. Diamond, Edward M. EmmettApril 12, 2023
The pandemic spurred a rollercoaster of quick, subsequent economic events in three years that might normally occur across three decades: record unemployment, a brief recession, federal assistance, highest inflation since the 1980s, interest rate increases, and in 2023, concerns regarding a looming recession. Some U.S. consumers have dealt with the aftermath of this whiplash by shifting their spending and saving behaviors. Our experts discuss U.S. consumer trends since the pandemic — what’s stayed the same, new phenomena, and notable policy developments.
David M. Satterfield, Joe Barnes, Joyce Beebe, John W. DiamondMarch 1, 2023
In this working paper, the author examines the economic effects of enacting a proposal by the Biden administration to tax long term capital gains at ordinary income tax rates for those with taxable income above $1 million and tax unrealized gains at the time of death for single (joint) filers with more than $1 million ($2 million) in unrealized gains.
A similar version of the report was prepared with the financial support of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation.
In this background document, the authors provide some information on the choices of key parameter values used in the Diamond-Zodrow model. They focus on parameters involving labor supply, saving, international capital flows and substitution among factors of production.
The authors analyze the carbon emission, energy market and economic implications of carbon tax proposal introduced by U.S. Rep. Carlos Corbels (R-Florida). The working paper was released as part of a collaboration between Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, the Rhodium Group and the Baker Institute.
In this working paper, fellow John Diamond and Rice faculty scholar George Zodrow describe the Diamond-Zodrow model, which simulates the macroeconomic effects of corporate income tax reform proposals.
