The authors investigate two plausible causes for the significant price discount of U.S. crudes during the U.S. “shale boom” and evaluate how much each mattered.
With the Texas Legislature now considering several bills that would decrease penalties for marijuana possession and legalize the use of medical marijuana to treat a variety of conditions, authors William Martin and Katharine A. Neill present updated findings in this new issue brief that support the case for reforming marijuana policy in Texas.
Katharine Neill Harris, William MartinMarch 10, 2017
Drug Policy Program director Bill Martin summarizes the scientific and fiscal evidence supporting the efficacy of syringe exchange programs and outlines a framework for public policies to deal with this aspect of drug use and abuse.
To harness the power of the market for ideas, the federal government must fund the U.S. patent office to 21st century levels and enhance the rights of patent owners.
In this study, the authors examine the impact of consolidation among U.S. dialysis providers on: 1) the ability of patients to choose among competing dialysis providers and 2) the market concentration of providers in each hospital service area.
Taking a health-based approach toward curbing the rising use of synthetic cannabinoids, which has caused dangerous and sometimes fatal side effects in extreme cases, may be a more effective policy for the City of Houston, postdoctoral fellow Katharine A. Neill writes in this report.
Since the first quarter of 2014, Brazil has been living in crisis mode as the result of a severe economic crisis in conjunction with an investigation into widespread corruption that has penetrated the highest offices in the government. Although the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff in 2016 did offer some hope for recovery, recent events demonstrate that Brazil's troubles are still ongoing. Contributing expert Sergio Fausto analyzes the main factors leading to this crisis and surveys the current economic and political situation.
Under long-established Texas law, the surface estate owner clearly owns oilfield produced water. However, the law does not address how, if at all, the producer would need to split revenues with the surface owner for a sale or a for-value transfer of produced water. Fellow Gabe Collins analyzes the ambiguity related to revenues from this commodity and discusses potential transaction structures for produced water in Texas.
Mexico's electricity market has engaged in a deep reform process after decades of a state-owned, vertically integrated, noncompetitive closed industry. Using different modeling strategies, the authors of this paper analyze electricity transmission planning under the new industrial and institutional structure, which is characterized by a nodal pricing system and an independent system operator (ISO).
This paper analyzes the possible impact of Mexico’s energy reform on the country’s environment, as well as the challenges to preserving natural resources and access to water while also supporting the expanding oil and gas sector.
