Research Library

In June 2023, the international boundary treaty governing the U.S.-Mexico border came under attack from Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lonestar. In a new research paper, nonresident scholars Stephen Mumme and Regina M. Buono outline the treaty’s history and examine key issues — advising on merits of recent challenges and long-term implications for the binational relationship between the United States and Mexico.

As foreign interference and the prevalence of disinformation test our democratic processes, election administrators must work across the aisle to demonstrate a shared commitment to healthy election systems at all levels of government. This report provides a framework for effective bipartisan policies that balance the linchpins required equitable access and integrity of the results.

Patricia Summerlin Martin provides an alternative perspective on religious women’s views in the late 1800s and early 1900s — a perspective distinct from that of wealthier women who lived in the Northeast or Deep South. The study explores how Southwestern Baptist women interpreted the Bible and how this shaped their perspectives on feminism and power.

Taiwan’s Jan. 13 elections saw voters assert an increasingly diverse and inclusive democratic identity. Allies and foes alike should take note, writes fellow Steven W. Lewis.

The Mexico Country Outlook 2024 analyzes key policy issues ahead of Mexico’s June 2024 elections, from foreign investment and regulatory challenges to migration and public security.

How can lawmakers fix America’s crumbling child care system? Fellow Joyce Beebe reviews four popular policy proposals to expand child care and examines their potential benefits and pitfalls.

For research involving human embryos and other controversial subjects, science journals should require ethics statements from researchers detailing research oversight, what embryos were used, how many and for how long. This will help increase transparency and improve communication with the public, writes Science and Technology Policy Fellow Kirstin R.W. Matthews.

The U.S. is facing a dire shortage of health care providers. Immigrants can help fill the gap, writes contributing author Shishir Shakya.

With the 2024 presidential election, Taiwan faces a major decision about its energy future. A  potential phaseout of nuclear power could put the island’s energy security and decarbonization efforts at risk, writes the Center for Energy Studies’ Shih Yu (Elsie) Hung.

Legalizing recreational marijuana was intended to remedy the racially disparate effects of cannabis prohibition. But new research from our experts finds persistent racial disparities in the legal system’s practice of mandating treatment for cannabis use.