Research Library

Millions of undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades and become part of America's fabric. This brief makes the case for prioritizing their legalization — and shows how it can be done.

The leader of Argentina's most influential oil and natural gas workers union is handing off the reins to a more combative successor. The government and energy firms active in the Vaca Muerta are concerned. Read more in Mark Jones' Forbes post on the Baker Institute Blog.

This paper provides evidence demonstrating that the legalization of undocumented immigrants and their inclusion in the banking system, health care insurance system and housing market would produce a positive ripple effect throughout the U.S. economy.

The high cost of dialysis and transplants, combined with socioeconomic disadvantage of many patients with end-stage kidney disease, could leave them reliant upon safety-net providers for dialysis care.

Baker Institute Rice Faculty Scholar and University Professor Moshe Vardi analyzes three recent crises — the 2021 winter storm in Texas, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Boeing 737 Max software failure — that highlight the cost of valuing efficiency over resilience and provide lessons for bringing society into balance.

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.

Despite the demand for policies that mitigate the impact of severe weather, a majority of Texans seem opposed to one that requires consumers to pay for reserve electrical generation capacity.

Fellow Katharine Neill Harris testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the failed war on drugs and solutions based on racial justice and harm reduction.

In this brief, public finance fellow Jorge Barro explains some of the long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and argues that policymakers can prepare for the impending macroeconomic shortfalls by maintaining a commitment to improving education, prioritizing immigration and resolving fiscal imbalances.

Sanctions against Venezuela have reduced PDVSA and the Maduro regime's revenues, but they have failed to lead to a path toward democracy or avert Venezuela’s economic and humanitarian collapse. The authors offer policy options for the Biden administration's consideration.