Research Library

Effective drug policy requires acceptance that, for better or worse, licit and illicit drug use is part of our world. The authors recommend several steps the federal government can take to facilitate more pragmatic and effective drug policy at all levels of government.

In this background document, the authors provide some information on the choices of key parameter values used in the Diamond-Zodrow model. They focus on parameters involving labor supply, saving, international capital flows and substitution among factors of production.

As the Budget Control Act nears expiry, it is important to reflect on its effectiveness — does the BCA provide a framework for curtailing unsustainable deficits and moving to a sustainable fiscal policy?  Read the authors' analysis at the Baker Institute Blog.

A well-managed U.S.-Mexico border is essential not only for millions of border residents in both countries, but for the U.S. economy and federal budget. This brief lays out recommendations to strengthen the institutional scaffolding that could allow for a safer and more prosperous North American continent.

If the global economy is to recover after the pandemic, the United States must reestablish mutually beneficial economic relations with China. But the new administration should be careful to resist unrestrained Chinese "soft power" influence on our education, research and creative industries.

Two federal income tax incentives for business investment are scheduled to end after 2021 and 2022, just as the small business sector will be recovering from the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this policy brief, Jennifer Rabb and Lisa Lin of the McNair Center propose that Congress, under the leadership of the new Biden administration, should extend these tax incentives to bolster the recovery of small businesses.

The new administration should immediately abandon the “America Alone” policies of the Trump administration and work with our allies to address China’s rampant IP theft and forced technology transfer, overproduction of steel and aluminum, and unlawful subsidies.

Is Mexico's President López Obrador, a Trump fan, capable of making the changes needed for a new and different relationship with the U.S.? The authors examine López Obrador's early moves, which portend a difficult four years.

U.S. oil refiners have had a great run this century. But market events in 2020 signal changes to come that will challenge the industry’s global competitiveness, writes fellow in energy and global oil Mark Finley.

The authors investigate the connection between the choice of transportation mode used by commuters and the probability of COVID-19 transmission.