Research Library

This report reviews several fundamental challenges in cross-border taxation of the digital economy and presents recent developments toward revising existing laws to enable the taxation of digital companies in Europe.

Fellow Joyce Beebe examines recent policies and proposals that aim to simplify the federal student loan process.

If the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is approved, this modified and modernized version of NAFTA will govern most economic relationships in North America. David A. Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, reviews the USMCA and discusses its positive and negative elements.

Why do unaccompanied minors flee their home countries and what happens when they reach Mexico or the United States?  This report provides an overview of the perilous journey and the reality of detention centers, concluding that a child-centric approach in both countries should address the needs of these children.

Since 2001, the White House Transition Project has provided reports to incoming White House staff members on topics critical to a successful transfer of power. Written by presidential scholars from across the country, the series aims to enhance the staff’s understanding of day-to-day operations in the West and East wings. Nearly every former White House chief of staff, press secretary, director of communications, and senior advisor since the Nixon administration has been interviewed for the project to determine how each office operates — what works, what doesn't and what did they wish they had known before arriving at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.? Other reports cover topics as diverse as the most effective use of the first 100 days and the dynamics of presidential travel. The 2017 series is a partnership between the Moody Foundation, the White House Transition Project and the Baker Institute. It is led by Martha Joynt Kumar, an emeritus professor at Towson University and author of several books on the presidency, and Terry Sullivan, author and member of the political science faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was supported by a grant from the Moody Foundation.

The director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) plays a central role in advising the president on the impact of science and technology on domestic and global affairs, and on federal funding of scientific research. This paper provides recommendations for the next president to consider when choosing a science advisor and establishing science and technology policy priorities. The project also offers guidance to the next science advisor for developing effective policy while serving in the White House. The recommendations are based on lessons learned from past presidential science advisors as well as feedback from more than 60 reviewers, including individuals who currently serve or have served the OSTP, the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology, federal agencies, Congress or congressional staff, and nongovernmental organizations as well as policy scholars.

The core strategies of the U.S. War on Drugs are eradication, interdiction and incarceration. After a 40-year and trillion-dollar effort, illicit drugs remain available to meet a remarkably stable demand. Drawing on decades of government-gathered and publicly available data, William Martin, director of the Drug Policy Program, and contributing expert Jerry Epstein contend that U.S. drug policy is premised on incorrect assumptions, aims at the wrong targets and can never succeed. But because these data run counter to a century of anti-drug propaganda, they play only a small role in public policy, mass-media presentation and popular perception. In this policy report, Martin and Epstein call for a reexamination of the data and sweeping revision of existing strategies. They urge formation of a politically independent national scientific commission, its members chosen by the National Academy of Sciences, in consultation with the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services, to facilitate open examination and honest consideration of alternatives to current failed or flawed policies.

This report suggests the contours of a more comprehensive policy for the United States in the broader Middle East, one that pursues not only important tactical approaches to counter Islamic extremism and terrorism, but also shapes the larger strategic landscape to secure and promote U.S. interests. After defining the challenge for the United States and the international community, the report provides a brief narrative on the rise of ISIS before presenting key policy recommendations for a more strategic approach.

In a special report, the Baker Institute Conflict Resolution Program outlines goals and strategies for expanded U.S. public diplomacy efforts to support Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood (CB) can be used to treat over 80 different diseases, including many types of leukemia, lymphoma and inherited immune system disorders. Extensive storage facilities in the United States and around the world collect, test and freeze CB for later use in medical procedures. However, the divide between two different banking models — public versus private — presents policy challenges. This policy report examines the difference between public and private cord blood banks and offers recommendations for US policymakers to improve cord blood banking and ensure high quality standards.