Research Library

A New Health Threat

With the average out-of-stock rate for baby formula reaching 43% nationwide, parents and policymakers…

Can either side find a way out of the war in Ukraine? Joe Barnes considers the options in the Baker Institute Blog.

Introduction

The major drivers of Mexico’s outlook in 2022 will be 1) growing political polarization and social conflict…

Mexico's criminal organizations are undoubtedly responsible for the massive caravan of Haitian, Cuban, Central American and South American migrants that arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border last week, writes Gary Hale. Smugglers will take advantage of the chaos, surging multiple shipments of drugs and more migrants into the U.S.

In 1980, the Mariel Boatlift brought not only tens of thousands of political refugees from Cuba to Florida, but a significant number of criminals, leading to soaring murder and crime rates in the U.S. With Mexico now planning the release of potentially thousands of federal prisoners, is history set to repeat itself?

Joe Barnes explores why, in the absence of a viable alternative that does not involve an open-ended commitment in Afghanistan, President Biden’s plan to withdraw makes sense — even if it does entail potential real costs and real risks. Read his post in the Baker Institute Blog.

Some states still face challenges with racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, and Texas is one of them. How might we avoid these inequities in the future?  The authors explain in the Baker Institute Blog.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which became law in mid-March, left out the mandate to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, but it did lead to an open policy discussion about current minimum wage standards. In a post for the Baker Institute Blog, public finance fellow Joyce Beebe considers some of the pros and cons of increasing the minimum wage and possible future developments.

In late January 2021, the stock price of GameStop skyrocketed, causing the online trading platform Robinhood to suspend sales of its stock. What happened, and what tax policies are being proposed as a result? Public finance fellow Joyce Beebe explains on the Baker Institute Blog.