Research Library

The U.S. health care system is grappling with a severe labor shortage, worsened by the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an aging population. A new report from the Center for the U.S and Mexico offers recommendations to address the sector’s needs, including expanding visa availability, reforming occupational licensing, specializing recruitment, and streamlining the immigration process.

Matt Drwenski discusses the history of freeway planning in Houston, Texas — from its origins in the early 20th century to the completion of the city’s urban highway system.

U.S. fiscal policy should focus on stabilizing the long-term budget outlook by supporting robust economic growth, broadening the tax base, and reducing federal spending. This new policy brief from John W. Diamond, director of the Baker Institute Center for Public Finance outlines the issue and recommends policy actions.

Despite being one of the largest and most dynamic sectors of the U.S. economy, the construction industry faces a severe labor shortage due to an aging workforce, lower birth rates, and reduced immigration. This new report from the Center for the U.S and Mexico offers recommendations to address the industry’s needs, including authorizing more migrant workers through limited-term visas and promoting construction skills and careers to young people.

Reproductive health care, which encompasses preventative screenings, family planning, and contraceptive access, is becoming increasingly inaccessible in Texas due to restrictive abortion policies. A new brief by nonresident fellow McClain Sampson and coauthor Priscilla Kennedy examines how these policies exacerbate health disparities across the state and suggests ways to make comprehensive reproductive care more accessible to Texans.

The U.S. is facing an ongoing labor shortage that is hampering its economic growth and contributing to inflationary pressures. Allowing more foreign-born workers into the U.S. in an orderly and legal manner is an effective way to ease this shortage.

The lack of quality early childhood education carries short- and long-term adverse health and economic effects for children, families, and caregivers across the U.S. A new brief from the Center for Health and Biosciences offers policy recommendations toward increasing the Child Tax Credit and federal support to improve the access and quality of child care options as well as the future of families in the U.S.

While some scholars claim freeways were designed to adversely impact neighborhoods of color, fellow Edward M. Emmett argues this oversimplifies the issue. In this research paper, he explores the history of Houston’s freeways to uncover a range of factors at play.

Ken Medlock highlights the importance of supply chains and legacy infrastructures for the success of new technologies and stresses the role of coordination along supply chains to drive value. A holistic awareness of economics, politics, regulation, and resource scarcity is critical for developing market structures that support investment for effective decarbonization.

Despite a cap on Houston’s property tax collections, these taxes have outpaced population growth and inflation, writes fellow John W. Diamond. This issue brief examines the rise in property tax revenues and proposes strategies for maintaining a sustainable city budget.