Nonresident scholar Isidro Morales argues that the best way to improve Mexico's energy autonomy, with political clout for the state, is to back the resiliency of its energy systems, in both fossil and non-fossil fuels.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has pledged to end corrupt practices in Mexico. Yet some of his other goals — such as returning to a more centralized government — might actually foster corruption. Postdoctoral fellow Jose Ivan Rodriguez-Sanchez explores this situation and analyzes the relationship between democracy and corruption in Mexico.
This analysis explores the consequences of West Bank annexation for Israel’s international standing, internal cohesion and socio-economic fabric, and security within a larger framework of regional stability.
An exploratory study of Houston physicians revealed a general lack of awareness about the presence of Chagas disease in Texas. The results suggest the need to better educate health professionals on the diagnosis and timely treatment of Chagas patients in the region.
In separate papers, two Baker Institute fellows — one Palestinian, the other Israeli — provide their perspectives on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Measuring the costs of corruption around the world is challenging due to varying definitions of corruption, the invisibility of many corrupt acts, and the subjectivity of perceptions. In this research paper, postdoctoral research fellow Jose I. Rodriguez-Sanchez explores the difficulties of measuring corruption in Mexico.
This paper reviews the membership, activities, and impact of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in the past four presidential administrations, and provides recommendations for PCAST to continue advising the president and generating science policy in the future.
Kenneth M. Evans, Kirstin R.W. MatthewsAugust 24, 2018
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.
This paper seeks to identify the key factors that explain why local officials in Mexico — mayors, former mayors, mayors-elect and mayoral candidates — are being killed and to provide policy alternatives to address this important threat to Mexican democracy.
David Pérez Esparza, Helden De Paz ManceraJune 4, 2018
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.