Research Library

The oil production targets agreed to at the November 30, 2016, OPEC meeting have created the firmest prospect in the past two years of a meaningful oil price recovery. If WTI prices rise and stabilize in the $60/bbl range, how fast can U.S. shale producers respond? This brief addresses the question and highlights the challenges U.S. unconventional liquids producers will likely face during a scale-up. It also points out price and timing inflection points likely to broadly influence industry decision-making.

NAFTA has become increasingly more controversial in the United States. U.S. firms and workers are best served by an examination of the agreement to improve and modernize the relationship and make it more equitable to all partners. This will benefit America’s economy, and that of Canada and Mexico.

Although the energy challenge is significant and requires a long-term view to be successfully addressed, long-term goals can be sustainably achieved through fundamental research and development.

Mexico’s energy reforms created a still-developing reality whereby interactions among the players require new rules, new dispute settlement procedures, and far-reaching legal expertise. Importantly, the reforms also redefined the country's prevailing culture and legal norms. This prologue serves as a guide for readers of the series of papers that follow on the impact of energy reforms on Mexico's rule of law.

Authors Tony Payan and Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera lay out how Mexico must anticipate and resolve potential problems in organized crime, corruption and natural resource allocation priorities in order to successfully implement its energy reforms.

There is broad consensus in the medical and scientific community that substance abuse should be treated as a medical and public health problem, not a crime. The authors recommend a sensible pivot from failed policies of drug prohibition toward a realistic approach to drug use.

The federal government will need a nuanced approach to properly stimulate small business growth. However, a core focus should be on creating a level playing field for community banks to compete to provide small business loans.

Investing in child nutrition and alleviating child hunger in low-income settings are not only important from an ethics and equity perspective but also make economic sense, writes fellow Farhan Majid.

The incoming president will have to rebuild ties of trust with ruling elites in the Persian Gulf states shaken by U.S. policy toward the Arab uprisings in 2011, the civil war in Syria, and the nuclear negotiations with Iran, writes fellow Kristian Coates Ulrichsen.

In this brief, the authors explain why Israeli-Palestinian negotiations failed in 2013, and outline the elements necessary to relaunch the talks and reach a durable Israeli-Palestinian peace based on the two-state solution.