Research Library

In this issue brief, public finance fellow Jorge Barro finds that lower state income taxation is associated with higher net taxpayer migration. Further, Barro explains that since the passage of the 2017 tax reform, taxpayers and earnings potential have both migrated to lower-taxing states at a faster rate.

The authors articulate an approach for reducing COVID-19 vaccine inequity through globally distributed manufacturing of vaccines. Read the commentary published in The Lancet.

As the pandemic persisted across the state, did Texans living in cities have better access to Covid-19 vaccines than those in rural areas? How did race or age factor in? The authors assess the successes and shortfalls of Texas' vaccine distribution strategy, and how to do better next time.

Introduction

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

As the world faces the latest wave of COVID-19, a vaccine produced by health fellow Peter Hotez and his colleague Maria Elena Bottazzi is ready to be deployed. Their CORBEVAX vaccine is inexpensive, effective, safe and easy to store and distribute, they write. Read their article in Scientific American: https://bit.ly/3n28isA

As the judicial battle over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates continues, the authors argue that the most effective way to protect children from COVID-19 is to require masks in schools. Click below for their full list of policy recommendations, including what exceptions should be made, and when and how to end school mask requirements.

A team of experts recommends community-based strategies for increasing vaccine acceptance in the USA as a means for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

With center-right President Emmanuel Macron facing off against extreme-right Marine Le Pen, what’s in store for the French presidential election next April? In a new brief, Baker Institute faculty scholar Julie Fette and William Tsai, Rice '24, examine the polls, platforms and possibilities.

To better reflect the iterative collaboration necessary for scientific progress, the Nobel Prize must expand its recognition to the many contributors of winning discoveries as well as diversify the selection committee, thereby also expanding recognition of the work of underrepresented minorities, argues this Baker Institute Blog post.

"This is a moment to prioritise health over short-term political calculations," write fellow Peter Hotez, Rekha Lakshmanan
 and nine other experts in a Lancet commentary. Click here for their call for action against anti-vaccine rhetoric and COVID-19 misinformation, and five short-term recommendations.