Research Library

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?

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.

In a post for the Baker Institute Blog, Joyce Beebe reviews current developments in state and federal paid sick leave policies, and examines key arguments of proponents and detractors.

To offer insight into what might happen in the final 90 days before the 2020 presidential election, political science fellow Mark P. Jones answers key questions about the race, including how Biden’s choice of running mate — Sen. Kamala Harris — will impact his campaign, which states will be major battlegrounds and more. Read more in the Baker Institute Blog.

Read the Baker Institute Blog for the latest updates on the spread of Covid-19 and the best defenses against it.

Public finance fellow Joyce Beebe explores provisions of the CARES act, Congress' third Covid-19 relief package, that benefit newly minted college graduates. https://bit.ly/3aan8DX

The populist government under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has largely discounted the threat of COVID-19,  and the true extent of the outbreak Mexico may not yet be known. If conditions significantly change for the worse, the president faces not only a public health crisis but also the possible undoing of the country's populist experiment.

Fellow Joyce Beebe evaluates a provision of the newly passed SECURE Act, which offers an option for penalty-free withdrawal from IRAs and 401(k)s for new parents. She also discusses Congress’s recent decision to grant 2.1 million federal workers up to 12 weeks paid parental leave. Baker Institute Blog: http://bit.ly/2RZIIUJ