Research Library

With high entrepreneurship and startup rates, Latino immigrants are key contributors to U.S. economic development. In a new report for the Center for the U.S and Mexico, nonresident fellow Elizabeth Salamanca explains how their skills and expertise are integral to innovative startups that often evolve into binational businesses, operating in both the U.S. and Mexico.

The prices of U.S. hospital services have surged exponentially over the last two decades, outpacing inflation and rates of other medical services. A new report by Derek Jenkins, Sasathorn Tapaneeyakul, and Vivian Ho unpacks whether rising operational costs justify increased prices or if hospital profits are driving this price escalation.

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.

Despite innovations in information and communication technologies, Mexico has experienced slow productivity and GDP growth over recent decades. For insights into why the country’s economic progress has been limited, read nonresident scholar James Gerber’s new research paper for the Center for the U.S. and Mexico.

Is global oil demand going to rise or fall? And are forecasters analysts or advocates? Recently, variances have increased across long- and short-term oil market forecasts from major institutions — carrying implications for global oil prices, sustainability, and economies. A brief by fellow Mark Finley traces the growing disparities in oil demand projections and examines the need to recognize shifting institutional bias’s role in these projections.

After seven years of steady decline and an accumulated drop of 25%, Latin America’s crude oil production has recovered by more than 9% over the past two years, thanks to significant growth in Guyana and Brazil and smaller increases in Argentina and Venezuela. Francisco J. Monaldi walks us through these developments and what could be ahead for the region.

The Latin American does not stop with hydrocarbons: It extends into metals and minerals as well. The demand for critical minerals such as copper and lithium is projected to at least double by 2030. Tilsa Oré Mónago discusses the role of South America in responding to the growing demand for critical minerals in light of clean energy transition plans, as well as the challenges to be faced in doing so.

Despite its uncertain future in the context of energy transitions, oil remains the largest global energy source, and oil markets will continue to demand attention in the near term given their economic and geopolitical impacts. Mark Finley discusses global oil production, demand, and implications.

Rachel A. Meidl discusses why sustainability requires an approach that includes environmental, social, and economic factors across the entire supply chain spanning the life cycle of energy systems. Sustainability must move beyond a narrow focus on carbon metrics to address broader impacts and drive innovation. As companies emphasize sustainability imperatives, life cycle management will become increasingly important.

The EU’s withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty may foreshadow an eventual end to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDI) — a legal mechanism that permits foreign investors to sue a country over actions that harm their investments. A report by fellow David A. Gantz outlines the history of ISDI provisions in global trade agreements and examines what ISDI’s end might mean for the future of investment and trade in the U.S., EU, and other nations.