Under this study, the Baker Institute will embark on a comprehensive study on the interaction of the oil investment cycle and the general business cycle, including consideration of how the global economy and patterns of industry capital investment are influenced by oil price shocks.

The causes and consequences of rising oil price over the past decade have been the subject of much debate. The role of speculation in financial markets has come increasingly under the microscope, with many economists arguing that in commodity markets such as oil, inventory adjustment should prevent speculative pressures from unduly influencing price. This paper investigates whether speculative pressures can exert an influence on the price of storable commodities, such as crude oil and natural gas.

A speaker series addressing a variety of important topics related to Latin America.

A collaboration uniting the resources and expertise of Rice University's Baker Institute and the Organization of American States.

The positive effects of a corporate income tax reform in the United States might well be enhanced by a simultaneous move to a territorial system coupled with anti-base erosion provisions designed to limit revenue losses; however, the effects of implementing territoriality are tenuous and seem likely to be small in the aggregate. Published by the American Action Forum.

A working paper that reveals some of the possible new directions in U.S. NGLs and their future use in world markets. By Al Troner, president of Asia Pacific Energy Consulting.

The election of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as pope underscores the growing importance of Latin America for the Roman Catholic Church. Mark P. Jones, the Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, discusses the significance of Pope Francis' election for the church's future.