Research Library

In 2022, the nation faced fundamental questions about how we govern our economy and society — particularly how we formulate public policy. Here, we share 10 highlights of our work that illustrate our impact from the previous year.

Cryptocurrencies may remain volatile investments, but the blockchain technology that underlies them is here to stay — and it’s transforming the health tech and agricultural tech sectors. Research analyst Alexandra Bello outlines the benefits.

China’s dominance over the supply of rare earths — which are critical for energy transition and defense technologies — should spur U.S. policymakers to bolster raw materials supply chains, write energy fellow Michelle Michot Foss and co-author Jacob Koelsch.

A number of states are moving toward accepting bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for tax payments, writes public finance fellow Joyce Beebe. She explores the challenges this may bring and why a sizable number of states are racing to be viewed as crypto-friendly.

As climate change continues to alter the outlook for water abundance in the Rio Grande River Basin, what mechanisms currently exist and what additional mechanisms are needed if Mexico is to comply with the requirements of the 1944 Water Treaty? Nonresident scholar Stephen Mumme and co-author Oscar Ibáñez explain.

Europe’s reliance on fuel-switching and demand-rationing — and its need for new natural gas supply sources — will persist through this winter into next year. Using a newly developed interactive dashboard, Center for Energy Studies experts analyze possible winter scenarios using Germany as a case study.

In a workshop hosted by the Center for Energy Studies and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center earlier this year, experts considered the future of US shale oil and gas production. Given the need for oil supplies in the near term, is a new shale renaissance on the horizon?

Decentralized finance is charting a path toward increased transparency and efficiency in the financial services sector. But do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Why does Texas have its own power grid, and how can its history inform the future of electric power in the state? Nonresident scholar Julie Cohn looks beyond the mythology surrounding the standalone Texas grid and finds that reliability and economics — not politics — were the major factors leading to isolation.

Although a Republican House is not a disaster for Biden’s foreign policy, it could complicate his job as he pursues policies toward China and Ukraine, writes fellow Joe Barnes.