The sharing economy — an industry that includes a number of mostly online enterprises such as Uber and Airbnb that match service providers with clients — poses sweeping legal, commercial and social challenges. Fellow Joyce Beebe analyzes key federal tax considerations for companies and workers in this growing sector.

Joyce Beebe October 24, 2018

Great Hall of the people in Beijing, China

Center for Energy Studies | Report

Using Satellite Data to Crack the Great Wall of Secrecy Around China’s Internal Oil Flows

Comprehensive, reliable, and publicly available data on China’s domestic oil flows and inventory movements are essentially inaccessible. In this report, the authors propose creating a forum to collect and analyze satellite data to shed more light on the inner workings of China's oil sector.

Gabriel Collins, Shih Yu (Elsie) Hung September 7, 2018

Center for Energy Studies | Report

Groundwater Valuations in Texas: The Comparable Transactions Method

This report analyzes the comparable transactions method for valuing groundwater, which involves examining transactions for groundwater purchases or sales to gather pricing information, and explores how this method can be applied to groundwater valuations in Texas.

Gabriel Collins March 20, 2018

Center for Energy Studies | Report

Navigating the Perils of Energy Subsidy Reform in Exporting Countries

Fossil fuel subsidies have allowed energy exporting countries to distribute resource revenue, bolstering legitimacy for governments, many of which are not democratically elected. But subsidy benefits are dwarfed by the harmful consequences of encouraging uneconomic use of energy. Now, with consumption posing a threat to long-term exports, governments face a heightened need to raise prices that have come to be viewed as entitlements. While reforms of state benefits are notoriously politically dangerous, previous experience shows that subsidies can be rolled back without undermining government legitimacy — even in autocratic settings — given proper preparation.

Jim Krane May 2, 2014