Research Library

This paper tracks a change in the direction of Mexico’s energy policy under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador — a change that inhibits private investment while attempting to restore Pemex’s oil monopoly.

The authors explore the history of the resource curse and provide summarize the working paper series titled “The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Resource-Rich Regions.”

In this working paper, the authors suggest that companies must strive for transparent frameworks, political neutrality and a fair allocation of returns when engaging in foreign direct investment. This working paper is part of a series titled “The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Resource-Rich Regions.”

Energy fellow Gabriel Collins investigates how some operators in the Permian Basin are unifying their efforts to solve the unique set of community and infrastructure challenges in the region This working paper is part of a series titled “The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Resource-Rich Regions.”

In this report, author David Gantz continues his series on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by discussing some of the changes adopted from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, including those relating to state-owned enterprises and special sectoral standards, which may have a major impact on North American trade.

According to the authors, as a leading agricultural state, Texas is poised to become the new leader in hemp production, whether for medicinal or industrial purposes.

Products containing hemp extracts high in CBD are gaining mainstream popularity, acceptance and federal legality. In this article, Lisa Pittman, nonresident fellow in drug policy, focuses on litigation issues particular to hemp.

Fellow Joyce Beebe evaluates a provision of the newly passed SECURE Act, which offers an option for penalty-free withdrawal from IRAs and 401(k)s for new parents. She also discusses Congress’s recent decision to grant 2.1 million federal workers up to 12 weeks paid parental leave. Baker Institute Blog: http://bit.ly/2RZIIUJ

The recently passed Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act offers several welcome updates to retirement saving rules but has also been widely criticized for limiting the “stretch IRA” strategy. Read more on the Baker Institute Blog: http://bit.ly/36ut6Ol

Given that policymakers will eventually need to decide how to resolve the social security program’s projected shortfall, this paper presents a simulation-based approach to evaluating the conventional alternatives of adjustments to benefits or taxes.