Research Library

In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Vivian Ho and Marah Short examine differences in health insurance premiums across Texas universities and the factors driving variation in the cost of coverage.

Predictability is essential for investment & supply chains, yet the 2026 USMCA review faces major hurdles. In a new commentary for the Claudio X. González Center for the US and Mexico, fellow David A. Gantz examines how U.S. trade priorities, policy volatility, and institutional erosion undermine regional stability.

Why do many critical minerals remain difficult to scale? In a new working paper, Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes examines how byproduct mineral recovery creates financing and policy challenges that constrain critical minerals supply.

Is the AI boom hiding the real impact of U.S. tariffs? New research by the Center for Tax and Budget Policy’s John W. Diamond shows how AI infrastructure investment is inflating import totals even as traditional manufacturing sectors weaken.

In this episode of “Baker Briefing,” Amb. David M. Satterfield speaks with Baker Institute experts Kelsey Norman and Ana Martín Gil about the realities of protracted displacement across the Middle East and North Africa.

In this episode, Heidi Russell speaks with Christopher Kulesza about how new federal health initiatives and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement could shape child health policy in schools.

In this episode, Tony Payan speaks with former Mexican Sen. Emilio Álvarez Icaza about democratic backsliding under Morena, the emergence of Somos México, and the challenges of building a viable political opposition movement ahead of Mexico’s 2027 midterm elections.

Why do family health insurance premiums vary by as much as $25k within the same industry? A new Baker Institute Health Economics Program report examines insurance cost disparities across Texas universities and explores how plan design and transparency may improve affordability.

In its first year, the second Trump administration has enacted substantial shifts in U.S. health policy, affecting insurance access, care costs, and guidance on nutrition and vaccines. This brief from the Center for Health Policy examines how these changes, particularly federal budget cuts, are expected to reduce insurance coverage and increase costs.

How resilient is the global plastics system to geopolitical disruption? Rachel A. Meidl examines how the Iran war is exposing vulnerabilities in petrochemical supply chains and how circular carbon pathways may strengthen resilience through diversification and flexibility.