In this paper for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, fellows Jorge Barro and John W. Diamond examine the history behind Texas’ property tax system, recent attempts to reduce the growing magnitude of the property tax burden, and the economic effects of two options for eliminating the school maintenance and operations (M&O) property tax: https://bit.ly/2zIZRZy
Public finance fellow John Diamond and Rice faculty scholar George Zodrow analyze the short- and long-term economic effects of a federal carbon tax in the United States.
A numerical simulation of the macroeconomic effects of the House Republican Tax Reform plan, using the Diamond-Zodrow model, suggests that its net macroeconomic effects would be positive.
Houston’s pension funds are in financial trouble and pose a significant risk to the financial health of the city. This paper analyzes a subset of the city's pension plans—in particular, what is normally referred to as a defined benefit (DB) plan.
After a two-year decline in drug-related violence in Tijuana, seven homicides were reported in a two-day period in early June 2013. This white paper explores the reasons behind the uptick and what can be done about it.
This report, published by the Wilson Center, seeks to understand and define the gang issue in Mexico, establish the regional histories and sociologies of what is known about these gangs, and understand the causes of youth gang involvement.
The positive effects of a corporate income tax reform in the United States might well be enhanced by a simultaneous move to a territorial system coupled with anti-base erosion provisions designed to limit revenue losses; however, the effects of implementing territoriality are tenuous and seem likely to be small in the aggregate. Published by the American Action Forum.
