Research Library

Rapid urbanization and expansion of cities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has created new opportunities — along with environmental risks, lack of financial and natural resources, and social disparity. In a new issue brief, visiting research scholar Osamah Alsayegh explores how developing smart sustainable cities can bring social and economic benefits to the growing urban population.

In an attempt to regulate the cryptocurrency industry, the Infrastructure Bill of 2021 introduced new reporting responsibilities for digital asset brokers. Fellow Joyce Beebe explains why the Treasury’s proposed regulations have since sparked a fierce debate among industry experts about the scope and impact of the requirements.

The crypto industry saw major losses in 2022, but U.S. regulators are still working to crack down on the underreporting of digital assets.

Driven by the USMCA trade agreement and seeking to reduce supply chain disruptions, Chinese companies are setting up shop in Mexico, closer to major U.S. markets. In this issue brief, fellow David Gantz explains the pressures behind this investment and the likely impacts on the North American economy.

A number of states are moving toward accepting bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for tax payments, writes public finance fellow Joyce Beebe. She explores the challenges this may bring and why a sizable number of states are racing to be viewed as crypto-friendly.

Cryptocurrencies may remain volatile investments, but the blockchain technology that underlies them is here to stay — and it’s transforming the health tech and agricultural tech sectors. Research analyst Alexandra Bello outlines the benefits.

In the wake of the collapse of Terra — a once-prosperous blockchain network that suffered one of the biggest falls in the history of cryptocurrency — the authors discuss recent government efforts to regulate digital assets.

This brief explores how the emerging use of blockchain technology in financial services could transform small business lending and improve capital access for businesses excluded by conventional lending processes.

This brief examines the four economic pillars that are often credited with bolstering Mexico’s economy in 2019 and 2020 to determine how quickly the nation's economy will bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory Affairs, analyzes the impact of China’s emerging demographic decline, debt burden and increasingly likely structural economic growth downshift on global oil and gas markets.