Research Library

As his term progresses, President Trump will be faced with a large number of policy challenges, some of them requiring immediate science & technology expertise. In this Science Magazine article, the authors urge the president to consider the Office of Science & Technology Policy, the science advisor and the presidential S&T councils as vital resources that should be used early in the term to drive his policy agenda.

State regulators and legislators — not federal courts — should get first crack at resolving problems arising from seismic activity related to wastewater injection. Fellow Gabriel Collins explains.

High cancer drug prices significantly contribute to health care costs in the United States, with the average annual price of new cancer drugs increasing from less than $10,000 before 2000 to $145,000 in 2015. Baker Institute fellows Hagop M. Kantarjian and Vivian Ho highlight this issue and propose possible solutions.

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.

George Abbey, the institute’s senior fellow in space policy and the former director of the Johnson Space Center, reflects on the life and legacy of John Glenn, who died Dec. 8 at age 95. Baker Institute Blog: http://bit.ly/2hfRpra

The Trump administration should push for formal congressional authorization of both the ongoing operations against ISIS and any significant increase in U.S. military action in Syria, writes fellow Joe Barnes.

Bonner Means Baker Fellow Joe Barnes suggests that Trump’s core philosophies as a deal-maker may guide his policy decisions as president in this post on the Baker Institute Blog.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was elected to a third consecutive and fourth overall term as president Sunday. While Ortega has successfully revitalized Nicaragua’s economy, his reelection signals a return toward an authoritarian power structure that dismantles the country’s democratic progress.

This policy brief analyzes the impact of the increasing number of parents who opt their children out of school-entry vaccinations for nonmedical reasons in Texas and argues that the state should make obtaining nonmedical exemptions more rigorous in order to reduce the public health risks and costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.

This blog post examines a Mexican senator's push to amend Mexico's Constitution to emulate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and allow Mexico's citizens to carry handguns for personal protection.