Research Library

In 2005, former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, co-chaired the Commission on Federal Election Reform, which produced a report on the U.S. electoral process and recommendations on maximizing ballot access and election integrity. In June 2021, The Carter Center and the Baker Institute held five webinars that again examined critical challenges facing the U.S. electoral system. This report includes the results of the discussions.

In this report, the authors outline the U.S. federal budget process for scientific R&D, discuss trends in federal R&D funding and provide an outlook for federal scientific R&D funding during the Biden administration.

Read the PDF below for a report on the results of a workshop on U.S. immigration policy, hosted by the Center for the United States and Mexico and the Center for Houston's Future.

In 2020, Energy Dialogues and the Center for Energy Studies hosted a virtual event at which representatives from industry, academia, environmental groups and regulatory bodies focused on four themes: the impact of COVID-19 on global energy demand, resiliency in the energy industry, net-zero aspirations and pathways for transitioning to a lower-carbon future. This report summarizes the discussions held during the event.

Will the Mexican government's massive development of the Interoceanic Corridor, along the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, provide a badly needed boost to the area's economy? Adrian Duhalt analyzes the possible outcomes.

Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs, explains why Section 625 of the CLEAN Future Act — which aims to classify oilfield-produced water as a hazardous waste — would likely induce multi-system disruptions severe enough to prevent the act from achieving its climate, energy, environmental, and social objectives.

This report explores Houston's substantial comparative advantage in finding and developing low-carbon solutions and creating opportunities to efficiently and effectively deploy the region’s vast resources to produce and deliver cleaner, greener fuels to the nation and the world.

President Biden has an opportunity, the author argues, to resurrect the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and provide a pathway to legal status for millions of undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. This report explores the potential of the DAPA program to impact immigrant families and policy avenues toward its passage.

Rachel A. Meidl, the fellow in energy and environment, writes that investing in nanotechnology research and development is critical for future decarbonization strategies that can drive U.S. leadership in the clean energy revolution, reduce dependencies on foreign markets, yield economic and national security advantages, and enhance environmental justice and energy independence.

Researchers explore states' responses to the pandemic and a possible association between the strictness of lockdowns and the COVID-19 death rate.