Research Library

As global attention turns toward the next World Cup, questions about the relationship between sports, politics, and national image are receiving renewed attention. In this report, Vedant Khadiya and Kristian Coates Ulrichsen explore the concept of sportswashing — the practice of using sports to divert attention from alleged ethical concerns. The report examines how sportswashing has been defined and assessed across academic and media discourses, calling for further research into its real-world impacts and effectiveness as a tool of soft power.

John W. Diamond examines the latest Social Security trustees report, arguing that demographic change, lower immigration, rising federal debt, and fiscal constraints are increasing pressure on the program's long-term finances and narrowing the range of available reform options.

In this episode, Heidi Russell speaks with Quianta Moore about how public policy can strengthen childhood resilience through early intervention and improved access to mental health care in schools and communities.

In this episode, Heidi Russell speaks with Elena M. Marks and Anna Chatillon about the Thriving Texas Families program.

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.