Research Library

A universally agreed-upon definition of the U.S.-Mexico border region is elusive, to say the least. The boundaries vary widely depending on the government entity or academic institution involved. This brief reviews the many officially sanctioned definitions of the region, and explains why a consensus is necessary for effective border management.

Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute Mexico Center, testified on transnational labor flows and commerce at an April 10, 2017, hearing of the Texas House Committee on International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Although the energy challenge is significant and requires a long-term view to be successfully addressed, long-term goals can be sustainably achieved through fundamental research and development.

The authors describe five high priority challenges that must be overcome to accelerate the beneficial use of produced and other non-fresh water sources brought to the surface during oil and gas production.

Broad collaborative action between the government, industry, municipalities and other stakeholders is necessary to enable the beneficial use of non-fresh water, especially produced water from oil and gas production.

This blog post examines four factors of globalization that make Texas a “ground zero” for new infectious tropical diseases and outlines steps the state must take to better mitigate global health threats.

This issue brief describes the current state of brackish groundwater use and development in the United States.

The cumulative impacts of U.S. liquefied natural gas exports is the subject of a new Department of Energy-sponsored study co-authored by Ken Medlock, senior director of the Center for Energy Studies. The study is one of two commissioned by the DOE "to inform [the department's] decisions on applications seeking authorization to export LNG from the lower-48 states to non-free trade agreement countries."

This paper reports the key climate change and public policy issues addressed by guest speakers during the 2014-15 Climate Lecture Series hosted by the Center for Energy Studies.

This report suggests the contours of a more comprehensive policy for the United States in the broader Middle East, one that pursues not only important tactical approaches to counter Islamic extremism and terrorism, but also shapes the larger strategic landscape to secure and promote U.S. interests. After defining the challenge for the United States and the international community, the report provides a brief narrative on the rise of ISIS before presenting key policy recommendations for a more strategic approach.