Research Library

The development of the petroleum sector has been characterized by a succession of cycles of investment and expropriation that have been particularly pronounced in Latin America. This paper analyzes the causes of these cycles and the lessons that can be derived and applied during the implementation of the petroleum reform in Mexico.

The Affordable Care Act and changing economic conditions have encouraged the integration of physicians and hospitals. The objective of the study is to examine how hospitals and physicians have transitioned between integration levels over time.

During the 85th Legislative Session, Texas lawmakers have the opportunity to enact reforms to the current process by which the state selects its judges—in partisan elections in combination with a straight-ticket voting option. Political science fellow Mark P. Jones analyzes four reform options and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Criminal extortion is on the rise in Mexico, particularly along the northern border states. Author Gary Hale shows how this trend has fueled government corruption, with officials implicitly or explicitly aiding organized crime groups as they extort businesses and citizens.

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.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Texas voter ID law, ruling that it violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The decision cites a 2015 study by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and the University of Houston Hobby Center for Public Policy.

In this paper, the author weighs the difficulties facing Venezuela in light of its dependence on oil export revenues.

Confusion over Texas' voter photo identification requirement potentially discouraged as many as 9 percent of registered voters from going to the polls in the November 2014 elections in the Latino-majority U.S. Congressional District 23 (CD-23), according to a new study.

The Academy of Arts and Sciences released a special report on keeping the U.S. at the forefront of scientific and engineering research on Sept. 16.

The United States should assign a particularly high priority on science and technology over the next four years, especially for federal support of research.