Research Library

This report takes a deep dive into how expanding the scope of the nonimmigrant TN Visa — available only to Mexican and Canadian citizens — could help solve the U.S. labor shortage. In a political climate where full-scale immigration reform seems impossible, more temporary work visas can help bridge the labor gap.

David A. Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, analyzes a wide range of factors — including the U.S.-China trade war, the entry into force of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the COVID-19 pandemic — that are all contributing to the pressure on the U.S. to decouple from China and to shift supply chains back to North America.

The author gives an overview of the USMCA's implications for Mexico, finding that while challenges remain for the U.S.-Mexico relationship, the possibility of the trade agreement going into effect by 2020 should greatly reduce uncertainties about the future of North American trade.

Nonresident fellow Jesús Velasco examines the domestic politics in the U.S. and Mexico to explore the roots of contemporary political tensions between the two countries, an approach he writes is needed to determine the future of bilateral relations.

The author examines the impact of NAFTA renegotiations on established processes for trade disputes between investors and states; between states and states; and regarding unfair trade practices.

Nobody can ensure that the economic gamble underlying the 2013–2014 energy reform will achieve the desired or expected success. However, the author presents evidence demonstrating that Mexico has gradually been building the institutions that will be able to perform governmental operations with reasonable effectiveness.

NAFTA has neither been the enormous success that its supporters believe, nor the disaster that its detractors claim. Renegotiating NAFTA — or even threatening to repeal it — is not a high-stakes proposition. The treaty simply does not possess the leverage to deliver a major boost or setback to the U.S. manufacturing sector. 

This paper explores the constitutional and legal standards regarding oversight systems related to accountability, transparency and responsibility within the scope of the energy reform in Mexico. It analyzes these regulatory structures and assesses whether the procedures satisfy the constitutional principles that the energy reform establishes for the petroleum sector. It also identifies challenges and opportunities for improvement presented by the legislation.

Mexico’s energy reforms created a still-developing reality whereby interactions among the players require new rules, new dispute settlement procedures, and far-reaching legal expertise. Importantly, the reforms also redefined the country's prevailing culture and legal norms. This prologue serves as a guide for readers of the series of papers that follow on the impact of energy reforms on Mexico's rule of law.

Criminal extortion is on the rise in Mexico, particularly along the northern border states. Author Gary Hale shows how this trend has fueled government corruption, with officials implicitly or explicitly aiding organized crime groups as they extort businesses and citizens.