Research Library

House Bill 12, the "sanctuary cities" bill that would have effectively banned cities providing safe have to illegal immigrants in Texas, died in the Senate's Transportation and Homeland Security Committee in May of 2011. Political science fellow Mark P. Jones explains how Gov. Rick Perry managed to promote the agenda of the conservative wing of the Republican Party without diminishing his support among Hispanics.

The 2010 Census data indicates that more than one-third of the Houston metropolitan region is Hispanic; however, the creation of a second Hispanic-majority district is unlikely. Political science fellow Mark P. Jones offers four reasons why redistricting will not yield a new Hispanic-majority district.

An overview of stem cell research and the policies, particularly in the state of Texas, that regulate these studies.

On Jan. 11 the Texas House of Representatives will elect a new Texas House speaker. Political science fellow Mark Jones compares prospective candidates along an ideological liberal-conservative spectrum.

This blog post examines how the Republican wave that swept Texas in November has altered the composition of the Democratic electoral base.

In 2003 and 2009, the Texas House of Representatives had a Republican majority and a Republican speaker. In this blog post, political science fellow Mark P. Jones presents critical distinctions between the 2003 and 2009 House leadership.

In this blog post, political science fellow Mark P. Jones documents the widening ideological gap between members of the Democratic and Republican delegations in the Texas House of Representatives over the past four decades.

In March 2009, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development co-hosted a workshop in Doha, Qatar, on stem cell research, policies, and regulations. The event highlighted current stem cell science, as well as stem cell policies and ethics. The discussion focused on policies around the globe and the religious views of embryonic stem cell research from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim perspectives. The workshop was organized so that outcomes from the event could be relevant to the development of Qatar"s up-and-coming stem cell research. Based on the presentation from the event, the advisory panel for the Baker Institute International Stem Cell Policy Program made a series of recommendations for the new stem cell initiative in Qatar, including the suggestion for outreach to the Qatari community.

Part of Energy Forum study on "Unlocking the Assets: Energy and the Future of Central Asia and the Caucasus"

Isabel Gorst…