Research Library

Attempts to undermine church-state separation in Texas reached a crescendo in 2023, writes nonresident scholar David R. Brockman. In this paper, he explores how three high-profile bills introduced during the state’s 88th legislative session threatened to tear down the wall between church and state.

Seventy years after Mexican women gained the right to vote, two women are running for the presidency in 2024. Concerted legislative reform has built on women’s suffrage — aiming to achieve equal representation for women — but there is more work to be done.

Baker Institute Rice faculty scholar Luz M. Garcini and co-authors analyze existing research on the compounded stressors and health risks faced by undocumented Latino older adults in the United States. Using a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) lens, they examine the environments, conditions, and social structures that influence health risks, and provide policy and advocacy recommendations to address the issues.

Progress on the UN’s sustainable development goals — aimed at achieving peace and prosperity for all people and the planet — has been slow. However, fellow Harris A. Eyre and his co-authors explain how applying a brain capital framework could change the trajectory.

The work of Katalin Karikó, 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine recipient, laid a foundation for the development of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines that saved close to 20 million lives worldwide. But her discoveries almost did not happen, writes Alicia L. Johnson, a civic science postdoctoral associate at the Baker Institute Center for Health and Biosciences. Karikó’s story highlights the vital importance of supporting women in STEM.

A new widespread immigrant amnesty would grow the wages of currently undocumented immigrants by 4%-5% — adding roughly $14 billion per year in labor market earnings, writes contributor Hugh Cassidy.

How can advocates move the needle on immigration reform? Engaging policymakers through storytelling and combating misinformation are key, according to the American Psychological Association's Katherine B. McGuire.

Electronic waste is surging globally, presenting growing threats to the environment and human health. Rachel A. Meidl explains how coordinated action can help us move to a sustainable, circular economy of electronics.

Do women experience displacement differently from men? In a compilation of briefs from the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East, the contributing authors — who include scholars from Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Palestine, Tunisia, and Lebanon — explore the experiences of women migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in the context of the Middle East and North Africa.

The number of forcibly displaced people in the world has recently reached a record high: 89.3 million. Women and girls make up almost half of the world’s forcibly displaced populations, while lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or queer (LGBTIQ+) persons are increasingly seeking refuge outside of their countries of origin.